They are, therefore, more inclined to continue, thus increasing their chances of becoming fully addicted to nicotine. In the 1980s, cigarette smokers began to take up Indonesian-produced clove cigarettes in the mistaken belief that they were safer than regular cigarettes. Clove is the spice taken from the dried flower buds of East Indian evergreen trees. Actually, clove cigarettes not only produce all the problems associated with all-tobacco cigarettes, they generate even more nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide than American cigarettes.
Clove cigarettes can cause serious lung injury and respiratory illnesses in some users.
For example, for users with early, nonspecific symptoms of respiratory illness, smoking clove cigarettes may lead to the development of pneumonia, bronchitis and bloody fluid in the lungs. Some lung problems also occur in those who have normal respiratory tracts and no signs of respiratory illness. These are caused in part by a chemical in cloves called eugenol, which acts as a throat anesthetic. The eugenol in clove cigarettes diminishes the gag reflex and increases the risk of pneumonia and other problems because smokers can unintentionally inhale fluid into the lungs. Cigars contain significantly more nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide than do cigarettes.