Nicotine

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

Nicotine is a drug found in tobacco cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco. Nicotine is an addictive stimulant that causes the heart to beat faster and makes blood pressure rise. This can be unhealthy. Many people who use tobacco products want to quit but have a hard time quitting.

Nicotine is a substance found in most members of the Nightshade family of plants. Small quantities of it can also be found in tomatos, potatoes, aubergines (eggplants) and green pepper (Capsicum, the peppers used as vegetables). Nicotine is also present in the Coca plant. In higher quantities it is a very efficient poison. It acts on the nerves. It is a stimulant, in lower quantities. It is one of the main reasons people are addicted to smoking.

Nicotine is named after Jean Nicot. Nicot was an French ambassador in Portugal. He had some tobacco seeds sent to Paris for analysis (As a drug).

Besides the treatment of nicotine dependency, it seems that the drug can also be used to treat special (severe) forms of epilepsy, as well as some other diseases.

Nicotine schematic

nicotine molecule might look like this