What is WTA? It stands for "Whole Tobacco Alkaloid" e-liquid. It's an e-liquid that contains the total alkaloids found in tobacco. Of course, there's
nicotine...that makes up generally 95%, by weight, of the total alkaloids, and the rest are considered "minor alkaloids" which though only making up a
small percentage of the drug profile, still have significant effects. Some are MAOIs, others work in synergistic ways with the nicotine (nornicotine,
for example, makes the nicotine last longer, or process out of the brain slower) but, all in all, it's tobacco that smokers are addicted to, not
simply nicotine. Those dozen or so minor alkaloids make a very real difference. Being "minor" in terms of percentage by weight doesn't correlate with
"insignificant" and there are plenty of substances that prove this...a tiny bit of one thing may actually be more potent than a large dose of
something else...we all get that. And many of them seem work in an interdependent way.
I think that the initial choice to use nicotine in e-cigarettes, when they were first invented, was essentially based on a short-sighted assumption.
That being: "nicotine is the only, or at least primary, addictive substance in cigarettes." It isn't.
www.statepress.com...
So, in effect, e-cigarettes are largely fancy nicotine patches, the way they are primarily used. They are going to have some degree of enhanced
efficacy simply due to the factors of inhalation, and hand to mouth...but as far as delivering a true cigarette alternative, no.
In my own experience, I found that I was initially satisfied with the e-cigarette for about 7-10 days...even though I was vaping WAY more than I ever
smoked...and then started to sort of lose it. This makes perfect sense in that the minor alkaloids take about that long (or the ones my particular
brain chemistry requires) to leave the body. The MAOI effect, essentially.
I know some are going to have issues with the idea of "more chemicals" in this type of e-liquid, but for me, it's all about harm reduction, and
there's no question that this is a safer alternative to smoking. There's also no evidence that these minor alkaloids are in themselves harmful...some,
such as anatabine show great promise for positive medical uses.
examine.com...
I realize this isn't for everyone. Some people find nicotine-only e-liquid satisfying enough. But many people do not. Individual brain chemistry
varies, and the "cocktail" of alkaloids that primarily comprise the drug effect of cigarettes may be a more important factor in some peoples
addiction to cigarettes than others.
This thread, on a popular e-cigarette forum, is a compilation of individual testimonies from users of WTA. It's quite compelling. (doesn't get going
until the second page.)
(I couldn't get this one to link...so, just search "WTA testimonials" at the forum.
www.e-cigarette-forum.com...
As far as I've been able to determine, there are three companies currently producing and selling WTA e-liquid.
www.aromaejuice.com...
wholecig.com...
www.mothersmilkwta.com...
I put them in the order of time they've been in business. I've used the first two, but haven't tried mothersmilkwta yet.
This is an idea who's time has come, IMO. Possibly not soon enough, due to the upcoming FDA regulations. We shall see.
WTA is the
edit on 6-8-2014 by joechip because: (no reason given)
edit on 6-8-2014 by joechip because: (no reason
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edit on 6-8-2014 by joechip because: (no reason given)