The efficacy, effects and harms of betel nut

Areca nut is the mature seed of the palm plant Areca catechu. Betel nut is an evergreen tree that grows in tropical areas and is often cultivated in forests with sufficient sunlight and high humidity. It is cultivated in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places in my country. From November to December, the green fruits are boiled for 4 hours and baked for 12 hours to obtain dried betel nut. From March to June, the mature fruits are harvested, dried in the sun for 3 to 4 days, pounded or cut open with a knife to remove the seeds, and dried in the sun. Some are boiled in water, smoked and burned for 7 to 10 months, and then peeled off after drying, the seeds are removed, and dried. This is called betel nut jade.

[Warning] Betel nut is a Class 1 carcinogen on the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer list of carcinogens. Chewing betel nut can increase the risk of oral cancer.

Areca seeds are oblate or conical, with blunt tops and wide bases, 1.5 to 3 cm high and 1.5 to 3 cm in diameter. The surface is light yellow-brown to dark brown with light-colored reticular textures. There is a concave pit in the center of the base and a large light-colored hilum next to it. It is very hard and marble-like texture can be seen on the cut surface. It has a faint smell and a slightly astringent taste. Large, heavy, hard, and crack-free seeds are preferred.

Depending on the processing methods, it is divided into betel nut, fried betel nut, burnt betel nut and betel nut charcoal. After processing, it is stored in a dry container, sealed, and placed in a ventilated and dry place.

The efficacy and function of betel nut

Betel nut is a plant of the palm family and one of the four major southern medicines in my country. Betel nut fruit contains a variety of nutrients and beneficial substances needed by the human body, such as fat, betel nut oil, alkaloids, catechins, choline and other ingredients. Betel nut has a unique function of preventing malaria. It is a medicinal fruit used by doctors of all dynasties to treat diseases. It is also known as "Malaria-Washing Pill". Because malaria symptoms are generally related to irregular diet and stagnation of qi, while betel nut can reduce qi, digest food and eliminate phlegm, it has attracted widespread attention for its medicinal properties. Even poets and writers have a special liking for betel nut. Su Dongpo, one of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties, once wrote the famous sentence "Red tide on the cheeks, drunken betel nut". Fresh betel nut has a wonderful effect of "hunger can make people full, fullness can make people hungry". When eaten on an empty stomach, the qi is full as if full, and it is easy to digest after a meal. It can be said to be a fairy fruit on earth. Medical scientist Li Shizhen recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica that betel nut can “relieve edema, open joints, strengthen the spleen and regulate the middle, and treat heartache and accumulation”. In addition, betel nut can also treat glaucoma, high blood pressure, and deworming.

Betel nut is suitable for people:

It is forbidden for those with qi deficiency, spleen deficiency and loose stools.

Betel nut therapeutic effects:

Betel nut tastes bitter, spicy and warm in nature; it enters the spleen, stomach and large intestine meridians; it is heavy and sinking.

It has the effects of expelling parasites, eliminating stagnation, lowering qi, promoting water circulation, reducing swelling, and stopping malaria;

It is mainly used to treat worm-induced malnutrition, indigestion, abdominal distension and pain, heaviness after diarrhea, constipation, hernia, athlete's foot, edema, and malaria.

Betel nut practice instructions:

1. For children with abdominal pain caused by worms, it can be used together with Artemisia selengensis, neem root, etc.

2. For patients with abdominal pain caused by parasites and indigestion, it can be used in combination with Shenqu, malt, and Quisqualis chinensis.

3. For those with emotional disorders, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and loss of appetite, grind agarwood, lindera strychnifolia, and ginseng into juice and drink it.

4. For patients with severe water retention, with symptoms of edema all over the body, shortness of breath, and difficulty in defecation and urination, it can be used in combination with Notopterygium wilfordii, Zexie, and Rhizoma Coptidis.

5. For patients who often suffer from malaria due to cold, dampness, phlegm and fluid, it can be used together with Dichroa serrata and Amomum villosum.

Harm of betel nut:

According to medical statistics, chewing betel nut is closely related to oral cancer. For example:

1. More than 80% of oral cancer patients in Taiwan have the habit of chewing betel nuts.

2. The incidence of oral cancer has been increasing year by year due to the increase in the number of people chewing betel nut in recent years.

3. People who chew betel nuts are 20 times more likely to develop oral cancer than the average person.

It can be seen that chewing betel nut has a great impact on our physical health.

Secondly, spitting out betel nut juice and residues indiscriminately not only affects the appearance of the city, but also is unsightly. Some unscrupulous betel nut dealers often use all kinds of tricks to attract customers, especially the "betel nut beauties" who can be seen everywhere, which has a negative impact on the physical and mental health of children and the good customs of society.

Furthermore, since the profit from selling betel nuts is very high, some people plant them extensively on hillsides that are not suitable for growing betel nuts, causing soil erosion. When typhoons come, landslides are easily generated, causing loss of life and property.

(1) Common hazards:

Chewing betel nut not only causes teeth to become darker, more worn, looser, and gums to shrink, leading to periodontal disease, oral submucous fibrosis, and oral leukoplakia, but it can also lead to oral cancer. According to a survey, 88% of oral cancer patients have the habit of chewing betel nut.

(2) Serious health hazards:

1. Betel nut-induced precancerous lesions:

(1) Oral submucous fibrosis:

It is common in the buccal mucosa, followed by the jaw area. The oral mucosa will have a burning sensation, ulcers, and whitening, and finally cause difficulty in opening the mouth and swallowing. Some patients with oral submucosal fibrosis will develop oral cancer.

(2) Oral leukoplakia:

Commonly found on the cheek mucosa, tongue, floor of mouth and corners of lips. Leukoplakia will gradually change from clear white to mixed white, and some patients with leukoplakia will develop oral cancer.

2. Oral cancer:

Betel nut is commonly known as betel nut. The "arecaline" in it is carcinogenic. The "lime" added to it is a carcinogen. The World Health Organization reviewed the relevant literature on chewing betel nut and cancer and concluded:

(1) Tobacco chewing combined with betel nut is a confirmed human carcinogen.

(2) Smoking and chewing betel nuts can easily lead to oral cancer and pharyngeal cancer.

For your health, please do not chew betel nuts. If you are a smoker, you must quit smoking. Because the combination of the two is more likely to cause oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, pharyngeal cancer and esophageal cancer. In addition, smoking, chewing betel nuts and drinking alcohol together have a more multiplied carcinogenic effect.

3. Damage to teeth

Frequent chewing actions exceed the normal load, causing tooth wear and tear and loose gums.

The population of betel nut chewers is growing rapidly, and it is estimated that there are more than 2.6 million people in Taiwan. The average age of betel nut chewers is also gradually decreasing. The prevalence of betel nut chewing has also expanded from low socioeconomic status and working class population to white-collar and highly educated people. Betel nut is the favorite of the "red-lipped people" and the "green gold" in the eyes of farmers, but it is the biggest killer of the health and water resources of the Taiwanese people. According to statistics, Taiwan's more than 50,000 hectares of betel nut plantations (equivalent to 2 Taipei cities) not only cause about 4 billion tons of water resource losses and serious damage to forest land every year, but also the amount of money spent by Taiwanese people on eating betel nut is as high as more than 90 billion yuan a year, which is equivalent to the cost of half a highway, which is quite amazing. What is even more terrible is its carcinogenic and cancer-promoting effects, which has made oral cancer among the top ten causes of cancer death among Taiwanese people. Therefore, how to promote betel nut prevention and control work and reduce the habit of chewing betel nut among Taiwanese people has also become one of the work priorities of health units.

Physiological hazards: In addition to the possibility of oral diseases and oral cancer, excessive consumption can produce symptoms of poisoning, ranging from excitement, dull eyes, trembling, unsteady walking, strange or rude behavior to acute mental illness, including auditory hallucinations, self-aggrandizement, forced fantasies, delirium, etc.

Economic harm: Spitting betel nut juice anywhere will be banned and fined; eating betel nut is expensive, which increases the expenditure burden; medical expenses.

Social harm: After eating for a long time, your teeth will turn black and your mouth will turn red, which is quite unsightly.

Environmental pollution: Spitting betel nut juice everywhere not only pollutes the environment and is unsightly, but the bacteria in the spitted betel nut juice will be blown away by the wind and inhaled into the lungs of the public.

Soil and water conservation: Since the areca palm has shallow roots, planting it on a large scale will seriously damage soil and water conservation.