With hookah gaining popularity all over the world, there are many questions about what it exactly is. You can find the answer to this question in this article.
Nowadays, there are hookah bars in almost every manjor city in the world. If you don’t smoke cigarettes or cigars, there is hookah for you which is considered to be a safer bad habit. But have you ever wondered about what it exactly is, what its ingredients are, or if it is actually healthy? Before we get any further, let’s take a look at the basics of hookah. It is basically a single or multi-stemmed glass-based instrument with water pipes, known as hookah pipes, attached to the stems.
Hookah is used for smoking, but has a very unique mechanism, where the smoke generated from coal (raw material) is cooled and filtered through the water inside the base vessel. The amount of tobacco that is added with the coal used as raw material depends on the person who smokes it. However, the hookah that is smoked in America usually contains very less amount of tobacco.
Hookah Smoking
Hookah which has tobacco content is also known as shisha in America. Hookah smoking originated in the North West India, in provinces like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and on the border of Pakistan. After tobacco was introduced to India from Europe, it was used in the hookahs invented by Mughal emperors in this region for their luxury.
From here, it was later introduced to the Middle Eastern countries, like Egypt, Iran, and other South Asian Countries. It gained fame instantly, and was used as a luxurious and royal practice for passing time. If you are wondering if is hookah illegal today, then let me tell you that it isn’t, as there is very little/no tobacco content in it. After this brief history, let’s find out more about the components of hookah, if it is addictive, and the effects of smoking it.
What is It Made Of
It is very easy to learn how to set up a hookah. There are four parts which are the most important for its functioning. Let us discuss whet these parts are:
- Bowl:
The bowl is situated in the head of the instrument. It is made from clay, and it holds the coal and tobacco. The tobacco is added to the bowl first, which is covered with perforated foil, and then it is topped with hot coal to heat it. - Hose:
The hookah pipes which are attached to the main body of the instrument are known as hoses. They are flexible tubes that draw the smoke from the water jar and help in inhalation. - Purge Valve:
This is a tiny valve or opening situated in the water jar to purge the stale smoke that is not inhaled through the hose. It needs to be cleaned when the smoke starts reducing. - Water jar:
This is the most important part of the hookah body. The smoke that is created in the bowl and the body travels to the water jar, is cooled there, and is pulled out through the hose due to the pressure of inhalation. The process of cooling takes place by the smoke bubbling through the water contained in this jar. For those hookahs which are tobacco-free, there are fruit flavors or juices which are added to this water.
Many questions are raised about the health risks of hookah, as it is said to be a bad smoking practice. However, there are mixed conclusions to this belief, as some studies say that the hookah smoke is safer than the smoke generated by cigarette, while others oppose this view. To prove the latter part, there are a few medical studies which say that because the smoke inhaled in hookahs is more than cigarettes, there is a higher risks of tobacco inhalation. Thus, whether to smoke hookah or not is entirely your decision to make. Even though it can be addictive, you can control your urge to do so.