Thursday, December 13, 2012

Hookah - Its Use and Origin

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.

Components

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 Do You Smoke Out of a Hookah?

Traditionally hookahs are used to smoke shisha, which is flavored tobacco. Shisha, nowadays contain some or all of the following substances: 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 first hookah was designed by a Persian physician called Abul-Fath Gilani in the 1500's. The word hookah originates from the indian name of this device "huqqa." He invented the hookah to create a mechanism to purify smoke by passing it through water, thereby eliminating the many health hazards of smoking. It is argued, however, that the hookah already existed in other regions of Persia, therefore the exact origin is unclear. After it gained popularity in India it spread all through Pakistan and Turkey. Hookah gained popularity throughout the Middle East after getting to Turkey. As it spread through Middle East, it started to become popular in regions of northern Africa. Today, it is being used in almost every country 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 northern African and Arab countries

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?

Hookahs can be bought in physical stores as well as from online shops. Hookah shops have grown with the rise in popularity of hookah bars across the U.S. since the turn of the century. People who live in the more populated towns can easily find a hookah shop near them. Unlike much of the Mediterranean nations and Persian Gulf, hookahs have not made their way into the lives of everyday U.S. citizens.

If you are not able to find a hookah shop or you prefer to shop from the ease of your home then you can purchase a hookah on the Internet.

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.




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