Aztec Tobacco Seeds (Certified Organic)

Aztec tobacco is native to central and South America. It grows to 3 feet high with abundant bright yellow flowers that are very attractive to bees and hummingbirds. Flowering lasts up to two months! Though we use Aztec tobacco as an ornamental feature, the leaves air cure to a medium to dark brown and produce a very mild flavored smoke. Aztec tobacco has a very high nicotine content, so use caution. The leaves can also be used by home gardeners to make a very effective insecticide by soaking them in water to make a tea. The tea is then sprayed onto vegetables and flowers and can last up to six weeks to repel against infestations of aphids, spider mites and other tiny pests.

Aztec tobacco has the highest levels of nicotine of any tobacco species, potentially containing up to nine times more than Nicotiana tabacum, the species used in commercial cigarettes. At such levels, caution is advised when smoking Aztec Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica) because of the risk of fatal overdose. However, Aztecs and other Native Americans who considered this plant to be sacred would indulge in smoking Nicotiana rustica to achieve mind alteration primarily for ceremonial purposes and occasionally for recreation. Nicotiana rustica was also ingested by chewing, snuffing or as an enema. Additionally, it was used to treat bruises, sprains, infected wounds and to treat baldness.

Michigan Seeds and Plants grown on our farm, Renegade Acres, in Howell, MI!

Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth.