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Typical Shisha.

A Shisha (Arabic/Urdu:شيشة) is a smoking device. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Shisha. ... Image File history File links Acap. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ...

It has long been used, to a large scale, in the Middle East. Today, the shisha pipe is used worldwide. The practice of adding strong flavors is relatively recent, but has grown in popularity in the past 20 years. A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

The term "shisha" is primarily used for water pipes in Egypt and the Arab countries of the Gulf (such as Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, and Saudi Arabia). The pipe is called an Argileh in Arab Mediterranean countries, a Nargila in Israel, and a hookah in the Indian subcontinent. UAE redirects here; for other uses of that term, see UAE (disambiguation) The United Arab Emirates is an oil-rich country situated in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia, comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Shisha. ...

There are many things that a person can do to make their shisha experience better.

• Be careful to include many (25-35) holes, in a spiral pattern, at the top of the clay pot.
• Coals (2 or 3) should be evenly spaced on the bowl, rather than stacked: clumped coals will make the shisha far too strong or "harsh".
• Add ice water or milk to the base of the pipe: this produces thick, white smoke, which many find pleasurable.

Shisha

The word "Shisha" comes from the Persian word shisheh meaning 'glass'. Alternate terms discussed here originate from terms for the smoking material itself but none of them are used among English-speakers with the same frequency as shisha due to its distinctive double voiceless postalveolar fricative. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The voiceless palato-alveolar fricative or domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...

Ajami shisha is made from pure various flavours and is usually more expensive than maassal. Ajami shisha is soaked in water for 10 minutes and then shaped into an inverted cone and put on the bowl (or the head of the shisha, "rass"). The cone should be poked in the middle all the way down for allowing air in. A lit charcoal is placed on the top. Maassal is made of tobacco, honey, fruits(apple, strawberries, mint, mixed fruit, etc.) and molasses. A deeper bowl is used for maassal than for ajami, and the lit charcoal is placed on a small sheet of punctured foil surmounting the bowl and its contents, rather than directly on the shisha.

There are generally regarded to be two classifications of shisha: Jurâk, Tumbâk, Maassel and Tobamel.

Components

The components of shisha are the hard body, the water pipe, the hose and the clay pot.

Tobamel

Tobamel is a portmanteau derived from Latin. The toba element is a shortening of tobacco and mel is a word for honey. A portmanteau (IPA pronunciation: ) is a word or morpheme which fuses two or more words or parts of words to give a combined or loaded meaning. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... A jar of honey, shown with a wooden honey server and scones/biscuits. ...

Maʿasel

Maʿasel, معسل, (as there are many ways of transliterating Arabic, the spelling of the word may vary) is Arabic for honeyed, and are the "correct" term for the "shisha tobacco".

Tumbâk

Shisha tobacco, as shown here, often has a damp and sticky appearance derived from the honey or other sweeteners added.

Tumbâk is word of Turkish origin and refers simply to tobacco, not necessarily flavored or sweetened. The Persian word tumbeki and the Hindi/Urdu word Tumbako are similar. Download high resolution version (1000x723, 284 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1000x723, 284 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A jar of honey, shown with a wooden honey server and scones/biscuits. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Hindi ( , Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union along with English. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ...

Jurâk

Jurâk, mainly of Indian origin, might be considered as an intermediate substance between traditional sweetened tobaccos and the fruity shisha of modern times. The term applies both to a tobacco mixture that includes fruits or aromatic oils as well as tobacco that is just sweetened. For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Fragrance oils, also known as aroma oils, aromatic oils, and flavor oils, are blended synthetic aroma compounds or natural essential oils that are diluted with a carrier like propylene glycol, vegetable oil, or mineral oil. ...

Merchandising

Some notable brands of flavored tobacco from include: Al Amir, Hookafina, Abajûra, El-bâshâ , El-'Esfahâny, En-nakhla, Ibyâry, Shîh 'el-beled, Zeglûl. All of these are Egyptian except for Shîh 'el-beled which is Tunisian.

This is in addition to Bahraini molasses such as Bahraini Apple (done by local firms, and adopted by huge international Shisha molasses firms such as Al Nakhla as well), and Bahraini Zeglul, and UAE Based Al Fakher molasses, which is often softer in taste than the Egyptian molasses. Today there are also numerous varieties produced in the West with more coming to market each year. The term Western world, the West or the Occident (Latin occidens -sunset, -west, as distinct from the Orient) [1] can have multiple meanings dependent on its context (e. ...

Besides being sold in little packets as is rolling tobacco, shisha is also sold in cardboard boxes and plastic jars. Packaging is generally illustrated with bright floral motifs, fruit, lush gardens and romantic images of sultans or pashas. Shag is fine-cut tobacco for handrolling cigarettes that is cut into strips with a width of up to 1. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic monarch ruling under the terms of shariah. ... Pasha, pascha or bashaw (Turkish: paÅŸa) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors and generals. ...

The relative proportions of tobacco, treacle, fruits and spices, on average, 30%, 50% and 20% respectively^{[citation needed]}. The substance is generally valid for two years; boxes usually indicate the production date. Health warnings about lung cancer risks and cardiovascular disease appear on these products similar to other tobacco products elsewhere in the world. Treacle is an obsolete pharmaceutical term for a medicinal salve, usually given for snakebites, poisons, and various diseases. ... For other uses, see Spice (disambiguation). ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ... Cardiovascular disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart and/or blood vessels (arteries and veins). ...

Some manufacturers like Soex produce tobacco-free flavored herbal blends and market these as shisha as well. These herbal blends typically advertise themselves as having no tar and nicotine, thus a safer alternative that is still enjoyable. Herbs: basil Herbs (IPA: hə()b, or əb; see pronunciation differences) are seed-bearing plants without woody stems, which die down to the ground after flowering. ...

Flavours

Shisha is sold in a variety of flavours. Some of the flavours in which it is available are derived from the addition of artificial flavourings'; other manufacturers shun these. A few of the flavours are based upon the scent of flowers. Flavours include vanilla, coconut, rose, honey, strawberry, watermelon, mint, cherry, orange, apple, apricot, chocolate, coffee, grape etc. Wildflowers A flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms ( flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). ... Vanilla pods Vanilla is a flavouring derived from orchids in the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. ... Binomial name L. For other uses, see Coconut (disambiguation). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A jar of honey, shown with a wooden honey server and scones/biscuits. ... - Species 20+ species; see text The strawberry (Fragaria) is a genus of plants in the family Rosaceae, and the fruit of these plants. ... Binomial name (Thunb. ... MiNT (MiNT is Now TOS) is an alternative operating system (OS) kernel for the Atari ST computer and its successors which is free software. ... “Cherry tree” redirects here. ... Binomial name (L.) Osbeck Orange—specifically, sweet orange—refers to the citrus tree Citrus sinensis (syn. ... Binomial name Borkh. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. For other uses, see Apricot (disambiguation). ... Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration. ... A cup of coffee Workers sorting and pulping coffee beans in Guatemala Mature coffee fruit still on the plant Coffee is a widely consumed beverage prepared from the roasted seeds — commonly referred to as beans — of the coffee plant. ... It has been suggested that Veraison be merged into this article or section. ...

Zaghloul is often served with a broken coal mixed into the shisha itself^{[citation needed]}.

Health Effects

Regular shisha of any flavour, smoked in a medium or small bong has been proven more harmful then smoking a full pack of cigarettes, this has been proven for all flavours of shisha. Shisha bought in arabic stores are regular shisha. Research suggests that a session of shisha tobacco smoking (tobacco molasses) which lasts 45 minutes delivers 36 times more tar, 15 times more carbon monoxide and 70% more nicotine than a single cigarette.^[1] This study has, however, come under criticism for using unrealistically high temperatures for the tobacco (600-650 degrees C) and using arbitrary figures for tar filtration rates.^{[citation needed]} This could possibly have skewed results, as the carcinogenic and toxin levels of smoke increases dramatically with temperature (Wynder 1958). Common practice is to keep temperatures to degrees which do not "char" the Shisha; that is within a temperature range of 100-150 C. (Chaouachi K: Patologie associate all'uso del narghile). The effects of these lower temperatures on tar are inconclusive, though Chaouachi indicates the tar would be less harmful. The tar produced by shisha smoke cannot be compared to the tar produced by cigerette smoke and this is because shisha tar is different to cigerette tar. Tar is the common name for the resinous partially combusted particulate matter produced by the burning of tobacco, cannabis, and other plant material in the act of smoking. ... Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. ... Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), predominantly in tobacco, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine), and green pepper. ... In pathology, a carcinogen is any substance or agent that promotes cancer. ...

Other research has indicated that the use of the shisha may reduce comparative cancer risks, though such studies are not conclusive (Hoffman^[2], Rakower, Salem 1983 and 90, Gupta Dheeraj 2001, Tandon 1995, Lubin 1992, Hazelton 2001, Stirling 1979). The levels of carbon monoxide produced during a shisha session varies widely depending on the type of coal used. Japanese charcoals are thought to produce lower amounts of carbon monoxide. However there is a notable difference in areas of carbon monoxide absorption, in that while cigarettes have a notable effect on the small respiratory tracts rather, shisha smoking mostly affects the major airways (Bakir 1991, Kiter). This means a lessened FEV vs FEV1/FVC ratio compared to cigarettes, which is believed to be less harmful for the airways long-term. However, it should not be considered as a "safe" alternative to common cigarette smoking. Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Spirometry (meaning the measuring of breath) is the most common of the Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs), measuring lung function, specifically the measurement of the amount (volume) and/or speed (flow) of air that can be inhaled and exhaled. ... Spirometry (meaning the measuring of breath) is the most common of the Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs), measuring lung function, specifically the measurement of the amount (volume) and/or speed (flow) of air that can be inhaled and exhaled. ...

Herbal Molasses that are smoked contain NO Tobacco, NO nicotine and NO tar (0% of each)^[3]. These are the safest brand to smoke and still contain the very same flavours - just without the nicotine hit that Tobacco Molasses would supply^{[citation needed]}. SOEX is a popular brand, providing a safe smoke^{[citation needed]}. SOEX however does not provide the ingredients contained in the Herbal shisha and smoking herbs is not proven to be safer than tobacco. The branding is something of a misnomer as consuming any form of smoke orally or nasally cannot be considered truly safe.

Shisha, unlike cigarette tobacco, does not normally contain harmful additives. Cigarette additives, although approved as food additives, have been shown to create carcinogenic compounds when burned. Cigarette tobacco is known to have around 600 additives, including urea and citronella oil. When these additives are burned, the smoke they create contains around 4000 compounds, many of which have been known to cause cancer. Shisha tobacco additives include fruit molasses and sometimes honey. Shisha, depending on the brand, has between .05% and .5% nicotine (yet 0% tar, unlike cigarettes), much more than a cigarette. Nicotine is a chemically addicitive compound, and while it may assist in cancer growth and formation is not itself a carcinogen. Smoking shisha exposes the lungs to much more nicotine-filled smoke than cigarettes or normal tobacco, however it is not clear whether shisha has the same negative health impacts as normal cigarette smoking.

A report^[4] released in 2005 by WHO (World Health Organisation) claimed to have researched the effects of water-pipe smoking. However this article was strongly critisised for providing false evidence in to the effects of shisha. Many articles were written to prove the evidence wrong.

A popular article by K Chaouachi, a french researcher who has been studying the use of hookah and its effects throughout the world since 1997 was created highlighting the mistakes and errors made by the WHO Tobreg in the advisory note report^[5]. He also a made book^[6] in 2007 in which he puts together what he has studied about hookahs and its users.

The media is known to have been making ridiculous claims that a session of hookah is equaled to 40 cigerettes or even 200 at times. The lie seems to have been repeated many times in recent reports.

Many articles^[7] suggest that there is simply not enough research to provide answers to determine the effects of hookah smoking. Research is under way by Fogarty International Center-funded Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies, Egyptian Smoking Prevention Research Institute, Research for International Tobacco Control-funded Tobacco Prevention and Control Research Group at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Islamic view

In relation to the Islamic culture practiced all around Egypt and the middle east, questions have been raised whether or not Shisha is Haram (forbidden in islam). According to the Qur'an, anything that causes damage to the human body is Haram, therefore Tobacco Molasses can be considered Haram as they contain an extensive amount of hazardous materials.

Herbal molasses, that don't contain any traces of nicotine, tar, or THCS are theoretically not considered to be haram, as they are free from dangerous gases and ingredients. However, it is technically inaccurate to claim these forms are entirely safe as any extensive exposure to concentrated smoke is potentially hazardous to health. Exposure to heavy metals can still occur, although the levels have never been linked to cause harm to anyone to date and knowledge^{[citation needed]}. No Islamic cleric has yet labeled these types of molasses haram to date^{[citation needed]}.

References

1. ^ (December 28, 2005). "Hookah trend is puffing along". USA Today.
2. ^ (1967). "Un hommage à Ernst, 82-91% of tar is absorbed in water". Dietrich Hoffmann.
3. ^ . "Soex Molasses No Nicotine, No Tar, No Tobacco". Soex.
4. ^ (2005). "Waterpipe tobacco smoking: health effects, research needs and recommended actions by regulators". WHO TobReg.
5. ^ (19 July 2006). "Critique of the WHO TobReg's "Advisory Note" report entitled: "Waterpipe tobacco smoking: health effects, research needs and recommended actions by regulators". Kamal Chaouachi.
6. ^ (2007). "Tout Savoir sur le narguilé. Société, Culture, Histoire et Santé (Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Hookahs. Society, Culture, Origins and Health Aspects)". Kamal Chaouachi.
7. ^ (25 June 2004). "Tobacco smoking using a waterpipe report". W Maziak.

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External Links

• The Sacred Narghile Facts about Shisha & Health Effects