Rather than indulging in necrophilia I've started a new thread on a subject which has been much on my mind over the past three months. Those not prone to tongue bite should consider themselves very lucky. Those who are have probably learned ways of mitigating or even averting it. I am prone to this affliction and since I’ve recently been getting through around nine bowls a day I have developed some theories about its mechanism and considered the ways I have found to lessen its impact. I would be very interested to hear the thoughts of others.
The Mechanism? – The pain in a bad attack seems similar to that of hot chilli pepper the mouth, but of course pipe smoke does not have capsaicin (substance P – the inflammatory ingredient of chillies which stimulates the nerves in the mouth). It is also different because repeat doses of chilli cause less nerve stimulation (desensitisation) whereas continued pipe smoking makes tongue bite worse. Further you may have found that a mouthful of sugar immediately alleviates a severe chilli burn, at least temporarily, but this does not work for severe tongue bite.
There are many potentially damaging agents in tobacco smoke, but I don’t think nicotine itself is a factor since my brown ropes which have +++ nicotine cause me no trouble. I suspect the main culprits are oxidants (which pipe smoke contains in great abundance) and certain tar products (perhaps explaining why some tobaccos are more likely than others to cause tongue bite) which stimulate pain fibres in the tongue and mouth. The other reason for the oxidant theory is that red wine (not white!), port and tea in my experience have an alleviating effect – they are all rich in antioxidants.
The Bit/Button – This is crucial:
- The pinhole button of old clay pipes are brutal.
- The round button on old Barings are not much better, which is why mine get smoked only monthly.
- I think the Peterson P-lip was introduced more than a century ago specifically to direct the smoke away from the tongue and towards the hard palate.
- Similarly the fish-tail bit was introduced to spread out the smoke, as opposed to the focussing effect of the clays.
The Tobacco Blend – Many pipers find that various blends affect them differently, which weakens the oxidant theory somewhat. I find ‘bright’ VAs to be the worst in this regard, but once tongue bite has set in almost any blend will exacerbate it.
Anti-Tongue Bite Strategies –
- Give up pipe smoking (I would rather cut off my left testicle with a blunt penknife!)
- Take a break for a few days (in severe cases this may be necessary, but avoidance tactics are preferable)
The Mechanism? – The pain in a bad attack seems similar to that of hot chilli pepper the mouth, but of course pipe smoke does not have capsaicin (substance P – the inflammatory ingredient of chillies which stimulates the nerves in the mouth). It is also different because repeat doses of chilli cause less nerve stimulation (desensitisation) whereas continued pipe smoking makes tongue bite worse. Further you may have found that a mouthful of sugar immediately alleviates a severe chilli burn, at least temporarily, but this does not work for severe tongue bite.
There are many potentially damaging agents in tobacco smoke, but I don’t think nicotine itself is a factor since my brown ropes which have +++ nicotine cause me no trouble. I suspect the main culprits are oxidants (which pipe smoke contains in great abundance) and certain tar products (perhaps explaining why some tobaccos are more likely than others to cause tongue bite) which stimulate pain fibres in the tongue and mouth. The other reason for the oxidant theory is that red wine (not white!), port and tea in my experience have an alleviating effect – they are all rich in antioxidants.
The Bit/Button – This is crucial:
- The pinhole button of old clay pipes are brutal.
- The round button on old Barings are not much better, which is why mine get smoked only monthly.
- I think the Peterson P-lip was introduced more than a century ago specifically to direct the smoke away from the tongue and towards the hard palate.
- Similarly the fish-tail bit was introduced to spread out the smoke, as opposed to the focussing effect of the clays.
The Tobacco Blend – Many pipers find that various blends affect them differently, which weakens the oxidant theory somewhat. I find ‘bright’ VAs to be the worst in this regard, but once tongue bite has set in almost any blend will exacerbate it.
Anti-Tongue Bite Strategies –
- Give up pipe smoking (I would rather cut off my left testicle with a blunt penknife!)
- Take a break for a few days (in severe cases this may be necessary, but avoidance tactics are preferable)
