Despite the demand for a ban and high taxes on ‘gutkha’ and ‘paan masala’ growing for their carcinogenic properties, tobacco manufacturers need not worry about their declining revenues: They have options to switch over to making nicotine-free herbal formulation which gives the same “kick” that a normal gutkha does.
Jointly developed by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) four years back, the herbal mixture, called HerbiChew, is a mouth freshener with the aroma and taste of gutkha but without any side effects. Moreover, it has antioxidants, anti-bacterial and digestive properties.
Though the industry is yet to show any interest to commercially launch the product, scientists at the NBRI claim that the formulation can help curb increasing oral cancer in the country caused by gutkha and paan masala being sold in the market.
“Unlike those available in the market at present, the HerbiChew is safe to chew and have no side-effects on a consumer. As it has herbs of similar taste as that of gutkha, the tobacco user can switch over to this product easily.
“This formulation, if sold commercially, can help check the rise in cases of oral and mouth cancer,” said AKS Rawat, who heads the Pharmacognosy and Ethnopharmacology Division at the lucknow-based NBRI.
He explained that the product has chewing properties and all flavours of a paan masala, but there is no tobacco and nicotine in it. If it is consumed by a guthka addict, he won’t be able to figure any difference.
In fact, he added, it is 100 per cent herbal with dry herbs found in Himalayan regions, supari, elaichi, amla, cardamom, peppermint among a few others.
The scientist added that as the demand for herbal products like green tea are on increase among the youth in general in the country, the tobacco industry too can rake in huge revenue by commercially launching the HerbiChew, particularly when the tobacco products are under the scanner for their ill-health effects.
“Many States have banned the gutkha and paan masala while many others are contemplating to follow suit. The tobacco manufacturers or companies in the herbal product manufacturings like Dabur or Patanjali Group, owned by Baba Ramdev, can consider production of HerbiChew at least for public cause,” said Rawat.
In India, of the total tobacco users, 48 per cent are using chewable tobacco in the form of gutkha, khaini, or zarda and 42 per cent are on smoking tobacco with 38 per cent on beedis and 14 per cent on cigarette smoking. Tobacco products cause nine to ten lakh deaths in India annually.