The pressures and stresses of life can make it feel like there are not enough hours in the day. People are going to great lengths to try and get as much as they can do in an as short amount of time as possible, just to try and fit all their responsibilities into a day. Trying to find the energy needed to get everything done is a chore itself, and constant stops for coffee and quick snacks take up time as well as often being as unhealthy as they are convenient.

‘Snuffing’ was once one of the Western societies most common habits. Inhaling tobacco, or ‘Snuff’ was incredibly popular in the mid to late 1800s and is still practised today. Inhaling compounds that offer stimulation or energy has actually been a human practice for millennia, with many herbs and tree barks being ground down and inhaled for medicinal and recreational uses.

This way of consuming stimulants and energy-producing compounds is on the rise again, with more and more people looking to inhalation to get the medicinal benefits conveniently and quickly, while they carry on their busy lives. Here we are going to look at some of the most popular compounds that people are inhaling to get the energy they need, without slowing down their day.

Coffee

Coffee is one of humanity’s oldest stimulants. Thought to be the world’s most widely used drug, billions of people start their day, every day, with a steaming hot cup. Coffee is a huge industry now, with a coffee shop on nearly every street corner in the world and people spending trillions a year on coffee and coffee-related products. Perhaps after being stuck in line so many times, waiting for their order, people started to look at inhaling coffee.

Some believe it may have started as an internet meme, perhaps related to scenes in the Netflix show ‘Orange is the New Black’, where prison inmates resort to snuffing coffee grinds to get their caffeine fix, but now coffee derived caffeine powders are hitting the market to help people get their caffeine while on the move. Often marketed as Energy Snuff, or Power Powders, these are caffeine compounds that aim to provide the burst of energy you would get from a large coffee or double espresso, from just a quick ‘snuff’.

Rapé

Rape (pronounced ‘ha-peh’ or ‘rapay’) is a complex compound made from a number of South American seeds, barks and leaves, and sometimes tobacco. It is a recipe as old as many teas and could be considered a tea-like practice in South American tribes.

It was traditionally a communal practice, with one person blowing the powder into another’s nose while they simultaneously inhaled. Soon, people started using it alone, administering it themselves and using it to increase energy and awareness. Rapé has antibacterial properties and can be very effective against mucus, and mucus related problems such as coughs and colds, and also has detoxification properties. It has also been used for spiritual development and rituals in ancient cultures. There is a lot more information about the spiritual benefits of rapé in this blog. When used in conjunction with Cananga root tea, it has even been known to give a transcendental experience.

Chocolate

Inhaling chocolate is actually an ancient practice, and probably one of the first uses for chocolate. Smoking chocolate is also an old use for chocolate, that probably predates eating it. Many people will think that the energy in a chocolate candy bar may come from sugar, and though this is probably true for a candy bar, chocolate itself has properties that stimulate the human body and give us energy.

Recently, some chocolate snorting ‘brands’ have appeared, trying to satisfy the new interest in snorting chocolate. Many compare it to an energy drink like feeling, but with more focus possible and a clearer mind. It is not possible to simply grind down some common household chocolate into a powder and inhale it, and even a fine cocoa powder is not recommended, so specialized chocolate inhaling products must be used to try this experience.

These became popular in Europe in recent years and could be found in bars in skiing resorts in the winter and on the Mediterranean coasts in the summer, and now their popularity is growing worldwide. Chocolate also has psychoactive properties, though mild, that can offer a user relaxation or intense thought.

Raw cocoa, chocolate in its purest form, contains antioxidants, anandamide and flavanols that are all-powerful and important nutrients that can improve mood and boost productivity. They help release the body’s natural serotonin and endorphins which can elicit feelings of euphoria and generally improve your mood. Some research has also shown that chocolate can function as a muscle relaxant that also stimulates brainpower. It is so much more than a guilty pleasure.

Glucose

At a few recent festivals, inhaling glucose has become a new way to keep going through the night, without resorting to stronger and less legal substances. Now inhaling glucose powders have become popular with people who work long shifts, such as truckers and members of the military, as well as party-goers.

Glucose is a very effective sugar that the body can metabolize quickly and put that energy straight to work. Sometimes the glucose is mixed with a flavouring, such as a fruit flavour or menthol, to add an extra dimension to the experience. The mucous membrane at the back of our noses is similar to our tongue, and you can experience a lot of familiar tastes in new ways by inhaling a flavour.

Inhaling a powder may seem like a strange practice at first, but is actually one of our oldest habits. Snuff, as a product, was once one of the world’s most popular vices, but being a tobacco-based product, it fell out of fashion with smoking. Now ‘snuffing’ is becoming popular again for use with non-tobacco products as a great way to deliver energy.

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