Snus - History

History

In the 16th century, snuff (pulverized tobacco), the precursor of snus (moist snuff), was introduced to France by Jean Nicot, who worked at the court of King Henry II of France. He recommended snuff to Catherine de' Medici as a migraine remedy. As she became a regular user of snuff it became a fashion amongst the court and upper class citizens of France, especially amongst females, as it was deemed more socially acceptable than other forms of tobacco.

This trend of inhaling snuff through the nose also spread to Sweden at the beginning of the 17th century. Later in the 19th century, Swedish producers began to manufacture local brands of moist snuff placed under the upper lip which did not require spitting, and became known as snus. As of today, Ettan, registered since 1822, remains the oldest snus still sold.

A widespread urban legend holds that snus and other forms of smokeless tobacco contain fragments or particles of glass as an aid to absorbing nicotine into the user's blood. However, mucous membranes readily absorb free nicotine. The key to absorbing nicotine is having it in an unprotonated form in which it is freely available. Thus, the prick or burning sensation in the palate is a result of food additives, such as table salt, and/or sodium carbonate (E500), a food additive which is used to increase the pH of the tobacco, and the bioavailability of the nicotine, thereby decreasing the amount of time for nicotine to enter the bloodstream. The burning sensation occurs often because the tobacco is much higher in pH than the mouth and saliva. The greater the difference in pH between the user's mouth and the snus, the more vigorously the tissues respond to the more alkaline snus, precipitating an exothermic acid-base reaction, in a manner similar to pouring hydrogen peroxide on a wound, or baking soda into vinegar and observing the fizzing. This causes inflammation of the tissues, and sometimes can be perceived by the user as painful.