"Miso soup is for smokers" is a Japanese saying handed down from old times. The saying might have originated from the habit of using miso soup to clean pipes stopped up with tars, which was practiced in the Edo era (1603-1867). Miso soup has an amazing cleansing ability of nicotine. You can tell how well it works when it is poured into a nicotine-stained pipe, comparing its effect with that of hot or cold water. That will convince you that miso soup is very effective in protecting your body from damages caused by nicotine. Also, the vitamin B group contained in miso soup is believed to protect the smoker's throat by neutralizing harmful substances of tobacco.