Greenpeace advises using tobacco water as a natural pesticide. The recipe is given as follows:
- Place a large handful of tobacco into four liters of warm water.
- Let it stand for 24 hours.
- Apply with a spray bottle.
They also advise caution when using it, as it is poisonous to humans.
Much the same solution, with the addition of copper sulphate powder, can be used to deworm goats. (Ain't Google wonderful! See http://www.gvtindia.net/dctm1.HTM for more information.)
But the reason I'm creating this writeup is because the Shuar people of the Amazon rain forest use it as a ceremonial drug. It's made in much the same way (steeping green tobacco leaves in cold water), although I can't find any reference to how long it is steeped. It produces a narcotized state and vomiting (both of which are useful in the proper contexts; a shaman keeps his 'spirit darts' in his stomach, and must vomit them up). It is used most often by the shamans, although it is used by most members of the Shuar at some point, including children.