Ginseng Cigarettes

 

I have written this short blog post 10 years ago in German [1] and am now translating and expanding it because I want to quote it in an English blog post.

I found some material at home that I had once collected about ginseng cigarettes. A friend brought a pack from China. I don't know if this brand is still sold, but it's interesting anyway. Patients used to rave to me about asthma cigarettes, as if this was an indication that cigarettes were harmless. Here we have a similar idea. The manufacturer offers the ginseng cigarette with health benefits ("The Resources of Life"). How is that? On top is a photo of the packaging.

To the right above the barcode you can see the obligatory warning from the Ministry of Health about cigarette smoking. So in Chinese: 吸烟有害健康 / 焦油含量:低 (translated: Smoking is harmful to health. Tar content: low). The upside down Chinese text between the "Ginseng Cigarettes" in Latin letters and the Chinese characters with the same meaning (人参烟) praises these cigarettes as beneficial to health. The text is about stopping coughing, preventing mucus formation, stimulating the immune system and more, and this has been scientifically proven [2] – according to the text. Yes, cigarettes are called "the source of life" in Chinese or "The Resources of Life" in English.

Before you start criticizing China, it's similar here. We in the West also trivialize drugs. Tobacco leads to many health problems and tobacco is still too cheap.

Links and Annotations:
[1] Original article: Ginsengzigaretten https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2014/04/ginsengzigaretten.html
[2] Chinese transcript: 经科学验证:本烟富集人参有效成份,多种氨基酸和微量元素。有化痰止咳,提高免疫力、延缓衰老作用。Translation: „Scientifically verified: This tobacco is rich in ginseng active ingredients, various amino acids and trace elements. It has the effects of reducing phlegm and relieving cough, improving immunity and delaying aging.“

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