Obviously, tobacco leaves are used for smoking and chewing. Did you know that the leaves are the only part of the tobacco plant that is used? Another interesting tidbit that is not widely known is that nicotine, which is an addictive chemical, is naturally found in the tobacco plant.

Also, the tobacco plant is not a natural occurrence anywhere other than the Americas. In all other regions, the tobacco plant has been brought by man. This occurred many years ago, as the tobacco plant has been around for hundreds of years at least. In the past, people thought that the tobacco plant had health benefits or medicinal purposes, and so that is what it was originally used for.

Very few have ever actually seen a tobacco plant, so it may be a surprise to find that it resembles a bush. These tobacco plants have a shallow root system, which means they do not grow too far into the earth. Only the leaves are harvested since that is the only usable part of the tobacco plant. Surprisingly, these leaves are typically a pinkish hue, and their size varies slightly from plant to plant.

Tobacco plants usually yield quite a bit of usable leaf. Once the leaves are harvested, which happens by literally picking the leaves off the tobacco plants, they are dried, cured, and aged. After that, they are turned into a multitude of things, but mostly the dried, now-brown leaves are put into cigarettes or cigars, or ground into mush and turned into chewing tobacco.

The tobacco plant has been used in this fashion for many years. It is believed that the fact that nicotine, again highly addictive, is contained within the leaves of the tobacco plant is the reason that people have continued to cultivate this crop. Today, hundreds of years since the tobacco plant is believed to have been discovered, it is the most grown inedible crop in the world.