Naswār (Pashto: نسوار, Cyrillic script: насва́р), also called nās (ناس; на́с), nāsor (ناسور; насур) or nasvay (نسوای; насвай), is a moist, powdered tobacco dip consumed mostly in Afghanistan, and surrounding countries. Naswar is stuffed in the floor of the mouth under the lower lip, or inside the cheek known as Butt style stuffing, for extended periods of time, usually for 15 to 30 minutes. It is similar to dipping tobacco and snus. Swabi, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Charsadda, Mohmand and Herat are renowned for their production of some of the highest quality Naswar.[1]
Naswar is addictive. It is also linked as a cause of oral and throat cancer. Heavy usage is now not recommended due to its known medical side effects.[2]
Types
There are two forms of naswar; powder, and a paste cake style mixed with lime. It has a very pungent and powerful smell, resembling that of a fresh bale of coastal hay,[citation needed] and has a subtle flavor as it mixes with the saliva. The nicotine effect can occur within 5 minutes after intake, producing a slight burning sensation on the inner lip and tongue.
Nas: tobacco, ash, cotton or sesame oil, water, and sometimes gum.[3]
Naswār is made from sun and heat-dried tobacco leaves. These are added to slaked lime, ash from tree bark, and flavoring and coloring agents are mixed together. Water is added and the mixture is rolled into balls.
The green powder form is used most frequently. It is made by pouring water into a cement-lined cavity, to which slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and air-cured, sun-dried, powdered tobacco is added. Indigo is added to the mixture to impart color,[6] and juniper ash may be added as flavoring.[citation needed]
Currently, the countries of the region freely sell naswar in the markets, usually on trays with cigarettes and sunflower seeds. The only exception is Turkmenistan, where in 2008 President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow signed a decree banning the production, sale, use, and import of naswar.[7]
In November 2006 an editorial in the newspaper Daily Times in Pakistan caused some controversy over its allegedly biased representations of Pashtun predilection for naswar.[9]
Eastern Europe and Russia
In Russia, naswar is not a traditional product, but it has gained popularity especially among teenagers. It was sold in the markets of Moscow[10] and in other cities of the Urals, Volga, and other regions of the country. Its trade was usually conducted on trays with spices.[10] According to the association of tobacco distributors "Grandtabak", in the first half of 2004, Russia's import of naswar or "chewing tobacco" amounted to almost 67 tons (valued around 2 million US dollars), primarily from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.[11] On 23 February 2013, the Russian State Duma signed a federal law (N 15-ФЗ) which banned both wholesale and retail naswar from 1 June 2013 onward in Russia.[12]
On the use of naswar Belarusian physicians reported and send patient's medical information to law enforcement agencies.[13] In Estonia, naswar is being distributed to nightclubs.[14]
^Saleem, Saima; Azhar, Abid; Hameed, Abdul; Khan, Mansoor Ahmed; Abbasi, Zubair Ahmed; Qureshi, Navid Rashid; Ajmal, Muhammad (2013). "P53 (Pro72Arg) polymorphism associated with the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma in gutka, niswar and manpuri addicted patients of Pakistan". Oral Oncology. 49 (8): 818–23. doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2013.04.004. PMID23683469.
^US Department of Health and Human Services. Health consequences of using smokeless tobacco: a report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General. Bethesda, Maryland: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1986.
^Bourne, G. E.: Columbus, Ramon Pane, and the Beginnings of American Anthropology (1906), Kessinger Publishing, 2003, page 5
^McKenna, T.: Food of the Gods - The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge - A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution, Bantam Books, 1993, page 199
