Betel Nut Chewer
The term areca originated from the kannada word adike 1 and dates from the 16th century when dutch and portuguese sailors took the nut from kerala to europe.
Betel nut chewer. Betel nut has a long history in south and southeast asia and the pacific basin. In guam and other pacific islands its use can be traced back as far as 2000 years. Betel nut chewing palau micronesia there are calls to ban the practice of betel nut chewing in papua new guinea a png man shows his red stained teeth photo when betel. Betel nuts taiwan when i chew betel nut feel like am alive bao a betel nut er holds box of nuts cup for to western eyes the habit of betel nut chewing seems very unpleasant red lips can seem attractive from a distance but closer observation will reveal nothing to smile about asia s deadly.
Areca nut betel nut is chewed by an estimated 10 of the worlds population which is equivalent to about 600 million people. It is classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the world health organization who and has been linked to various types of oral cancer. Betel quid is widely used across the world in south asian communities particularly though contents vary in different parts of the world and cultures. The betel quid contents are betel leaf tobacco areca nut spices and sometimes slaked lime.
A large variety of additives may be incorporated. Betel nut consumption has been linked to the incidence of metabolic syndrome. Toxicology areca nut and the betel leaf have caused dna damage and cancer in cells and in animal experiments. One is to simply take the nut wrap it in a betel vine leaf with white colored slaked lime collected from seashells.
The lime is important as it increases alkalinity aiding absorption of arecoline the nuts stimulant. When prepared this way there is none of the characteristic red dying of the chewers saliva. The other way betel nut is commonly prepared in taiwan is by cutting the. It is commonly referred to as betel nut so it is easily confused with betel piper betle leaves that are often used to wrap it.