F-FC ClipBoard: Can cream of tartar, no matter what it’s mixed with, help as a quit-smoking aid?
Commercial withdrawal systems stand to lose if it works. What’s wrong with trying it? If it worked for just one person to quit smoking, whether it be a psuedo-placebo effect or just one person’s biology that worked with the cream of tartar, so what?
Pants on fire? Not everyone’s the same. God-forbid somebody should find a natural remedy for nicotine repulsion. Guess the folks over at Nicorette gum wouldn’t want that story to gain any traction. By the way, those gum pieces are way too expensive.
How much could it cost to make gum? The world already knows how to do it. Just add nicotine. Why add all those other ingredients associated with pharmacological social engineering?
What motivation would a person have to recommend cream of tartar as a nicotine-flush? To increase cream of tartar sales? I doubt it.
Why so worried about cream of tartar going viral?
This is one of those instances where I’d have to say, “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
Cream of tartar. You’re probably familiar with the white powdery substance that almost everyone has on their spice rack. But do you really know what it can be used for?
First, let’s explain what it is. When wine is made, a naturally occurring by-product is potassium bitartrate, more commonly referred to as cream of tartar. It’s mostly used as a stabilizer of sorts and is the basis of another popular kitchen staple: baking soda.
But while you may have seen your grandmother use cream of tartar in baking, you’re likely less familiar with some of its more esoteric uses. For example, if you’re trying to give up cigarettes, this white powder may actually make it easier. That’s because it can draw nicotine out and contribute to an easier withdrawal process. It will even expedite getting nicotine residue out of your system if you combine fresh orange juice with just a smidge of cream of tartar. No need to put out money for those commercial withdrawal systems; this homemade formula should give you just as good results for pennies on the dollar.
Make the dull ache of arthritis disappear with cream of tartar as well. Magnesium, a key component of the powder, is a natural anti-inflammatory. If you enjoy the soothing feel of an Epsom salts footbath, add some cream of tartar next time (two tablespoons tartar to three of Epsom salts should do the trick). Make some tea, open a good book, and relax for a nice half hour session or so. You’ll be amazed at how much better you will feel!
You’ve probably succumbed to some of those acne products they hawk on infomercials if you’re a sufferer. Let’s face it: the embarrassment of those awful red bumps would make most of us spend almost any amount to get rid of them. The good news is, you don’t have to. By downing a glass of OJ with just a teaspoon of cream of tartar daily, you can clear up your skin in no time, and there won’t be any scary side-effects or extreme dryness, either.
Then there are those unmentionables: yes, we’re talking about urinary tract infections, better known as UTIs. A little lemon juice, some warm water, and swirl in a 1 ½ teaspoons of cream of tartar and you could eliminate these horribly unpleasant and painful infections for good! Drink the mixture twice a day for the best results. It works by changing the pH levels in your urinary tract and eliminating bacteria.
Finally, and you do need to check this one with your own doctor, particularly if you are already on a blood pressure medication, but cream of tartar could be a great solution. Because high blood pressure and low potassium are often related, the naturally high levels in cream of tartar might work for you. Just keep a glass of water by your bedside and mix with a teaspoon of the substance nightly.
October 14, 2019 in a Facebook post: Says drinking cream of tartar mixed with orange juice daily will help people quit smoking because it “flushes the nicotine” out of the body.
By Samantha Putterman October 30, 2019
No evidence that cream of tartar and orange juice will help you quit smoking
Quitting smoking is hard. Over the years, ex-smokers have sworn by a myriad of methods: pills, patches, cold turkey. The list goes on.
But one cheap and easy quit-smoking-fast tactic making the rounds on Facebook sounds too easy to be true.
And that’s because it is.
According to a viral Facebook post that’s been shared over 300,000 times since Oct. 14, simply mixing cream of tartar powder with orange juice will “flush the nicotine out of your system.”
The post features a picture of cream of tartar with a lengthy caption that says:
“Go to your favorite grocery store and buy Cream of Tartar Seasoning and a gallon of Orange Juice. Mix 1 teaspoon in a glass and drink once a day. I recommend when you get up and another glass halfway through your day. I know this sounds too simple, but it really works! The Cream of Tartar flushes the nicotine out of your system and blocks it from receiving it again! After about two days, smoking tastes like s***, you’re blocked from the nicotine rush and the desire is gone!”
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that drinking cream of tartar and orange juice rids the body of nicotine and thus helps people quit smoking.
We found a detailed example of the claim in a May 2018 article by Shareably, a lifestyle and entertainment website. But the article lacks credible sources, instead citing dubious health websites “Natural Health and Healing 4U” and “Organic Health.” It also lists Providr.com as its primary source –– a clickbait mill that the fact-checking website Snopes exposed for fraudulent Facebook practices in 2018.
The basis behind the claim is problematic because it relies on unsupported theories about detoxifying the body through various diets or cleanses.
By Shefali Luthra • April 3, 2020
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, an office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says that a variety of detoxification diets, regimens and therapies “have been suggested as ways to remove toxins from your body, lose weight, or promote health.”
However, the center warns that some of these programs can be unsafe and falsely advertised, and said a 2015 review concluded “there was no compelling research to support the use of “detox” diets for weight management or eliminating toxins from the body.”
The Shareably article alleges that the way cream of tartar helps “flush” nicotine out of the body is by getting “your adrenal glands working in conjunction with the rest of your body… Then your body naturally decides which toxins to eliminate through bowel movements, urine, and sweat.”
But it is unclear how that could even work.
While potassium-rich cream of tartar has a diuretic effect, meaning it increases urine production, this doesn’t explain how it would somehow impact metabolism.
“I know of no biological mechanism by which cream of tartar would get the adrenal glands working,” Neal Benowitz,professor emeritus at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, told PolitiFact in an email.
“The vast majority of nicotine is eliminated by liver metabolism, and only a small fraction excreted unchanged in the urine.”
Benowitz said he knows no “biologically plausible argument” for why this drink mixture should work.Our ruling
A viral Facebook post says people can easily quit smoking by mixing cream of tartar and orange juice because it helps remove nicotine from the body.
This claim relies on unsubstantiated pseudoscience. No credible evidence supports it.
We rate it Pants on Fire!
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