A Crash Course on Chillums
A chillum is cone-shaped pipe used as smoking paraphernalia. For those who are interested in purchasing a chillum, here is the lowdown on this important accessory.
Chillums are made from a cow’s horn and are used by people who want to have a smoother, mellower smoking experience. Its body is short, ensuring that all smoke you inhale is still hot. Hot smoke doesn’t adhere as much to the lungs, thereby lessening the effects of whatever you smoke on your brain.
Chillums were used in the past during rituals where herbal highs were attained for relaxation and meditation purposes. Indian Sadhus and Rastas used them particularly to eliminate the harmful side effects brought on by the herb’s strength in their raw form.
Materials like herbal mixtures or tobacco – or even a mixture of both – are ground and placed in the bowl. The chillum’s mouthpiece is gripped by both hands so that it acts as an extension of the pipe. A person inhales in a way that his mouth doesn’t touch the mouthpiece and instead he breathes using his cupped hands. Though etiquette in smoking through a chillum is not practiced these days, it used to be an important part of ancient Indian and South American cultures wherein violating etiquette resulted in clan wars.
The first man-made chillums were made of wood, stone, and fired clay. The earliest evidence of their existence was found in South America as well as in India.