Hookah - Safer Smoking

By Hookah Joe


Hookahs are typically used devices to smoke flavorful tobacco. A hookah incorporates a water basin that cleans the smoke prior to inhalation. The highest quality hookahs are found in the region of in and around Middle East, where the hookahs essentially belong to. The parts of hookahs are simple and built in a straightforward way.

Design

Basically, smoke generated from the burning tobacco is passed down through the body, the end of which is submerged in the water jar. The smokes comes out of the base of the body and is purified by the water and stored in air chamber above the water. One more positive side effect of the smoke passing through the water is that it is cooled down to a temperature more comfortable for the lungs. At the top left section of the water jar in this diagram is the hose. The size of the hose is usually more than a meter. When the smoker puffs on the hose, the purified smoke exits the air chamber and is inhaled by the smoker from the hose. The smoke blown out by the smoker is clean, thick and fragrant. Normally, people smoke hookah while sitting in groups with their close friends on family enjoying their company.

What Is the Smoke Made of?

Ordinarily people use Hookahs to smoke flavorful tobacco often known as shisha. Modern-day shisha consists of some or all of the following: tobacco, treacle (uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar), honey, sugar, molasses, glycerin, nicotine, dried fruit and distilled water.

Shisha is usually fruit flavor based. However offshoots of fruity flavors are now rising in popularity among the smokers and producers alike. These flavors include Peaches 'n Cream or Banana split, and many others.

The tobacco flavors have become increasingly adaptable because of the ease of flavoring in the course of production. Unique flavors are produced because essentially every ingredient can be combined in dried, tobacco, glycerin and sweetener.

The Original Source of Hookahs

The word huqqa is an indian word, which is called "hookah" in English. Abul-Fath Gilani who was a Persian physician manufactured the first hookah in the 1500's. After growing occupied with the health risks of smoking, he developed a system where he passed the smoke through a water basin to be able to 'purify' it. It is contended, though, that the hookah already existed in other parts of Persia, so the exact origin is unclear. Regardless, the popularity of the hookah grew through India and Pakistan, westward into Iran, Turkey, and Lebanon. When the hookah reached Turkey, its fame increased among the Turkish elite, and it quickly spread through Lebanon and Syria to the rest of the Middle East and into northern Africa. It is now gaining popularity among the rest of the globe.

As the hookah reached different countries, it gathered various names.

Nargile (also pronounced Argilee) - Primarily used in Italy, Turkey and Israel

Narguile - used in Spain

Lula (or lulava) - used in Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina

Sheesha - used in Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia

Qalyan - used in Iran

Karim Khan - used in Russia, Belarus

Chillim - used in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan

Huqqa - used in India and Pakistan

Gudugudaa - used in Maldives

Marra Pipe - used in the UK

Where Can I Purchase A Hookah?

Like many consumer products in the 21st century, hookahs can be bought in-person or online. Since the beginning of this century, the number of hookah shops and hookah bars in the U.S. has grown. If your home is in or close to a more populated urban setting or college town, your chances of finding a hookah shop are far better. Hookahs are gaining acceptance in the U.S., but they are not as popular here as in the Persian Gulf.

If you do not want to wander around searching for a hookah, then you a purchase one on the web from a number of shops online that offer good quality hookahs and shishas.

Are There Any Health Risks Associated with Smoking Hookah?

There is a lot of controversy about whether smoking hookah is less hazardous than cigarette or not. While inhaling any kind of smoke into your lungs poses a certain degree of risk, hookah enthusiasts claim that hookah smoking is safer because the smoke is cleaner and more purified than cigarette smoke. Detractors claim that hookah includes more toxic compounds as compared to cigarettes. It contains compounds just like tar, carbonmonoxide and heavy metals. Another factor is that a hookah session can last as long as 1 hour and sometimes even longer while a cigarette goes for only 3-4 minutes. On the other hand hookah appears to be less addictive in comparison with cigarettes.




About the Author: