Editing Areca nut (section)

{{Short description|Fruit of the areca palm chewed as a stimulant}}
{{For|the practice of chewing the areca nut|Betel nut chewing}}
{{Redirect|Supari|the 2003 film|Supari (film)}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Bago, mercado 23.jpg|Areca nuts|thumb]]
[[File:Areca catechu - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-014.jpg|19th century drawing of the Areca palm and its nut|thumb]]

The '''areca nut''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ær|ᵻ|k|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|r|iː|k|ə}}) or '''betel nut''' ({{IPAc-en|'|b|iː|d|ə|l}}) is the fruit of the [[areca]] palm (''[[Areca catechu]]''). The palm is originally native to the [[Philippines]],<ref name="Zumbroich2007">{{cite journal |last1=Zumbroich |first1=Thomas J. |title=The origin and diffusion of betel chewing: a synthesis of evidence from South Asia, Southeast Asia and beyond |journal=eJournal of Indian Medicine |date=2007–2008 |volume=1 |pages=87–140 |url=https://ugp.rug.nl/eJIM/article/download/24712/22162}}</ref><ref name="powo">{{cite web |title=''Areca catechu'' L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:664107-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Kew |access-date=2 May 2023}}</ref> but was carried widely through the tropics by the [[Austronesian expansion|Austronesian migrations]] and [[Spice trade|trade]] since at least 1500 BCE due to its use in [[betel nut chewing]].<ref name="Zumbroich2007"/> It is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in much of the tropical Pacific ([[Melanesia]] and [[Micronesia]]), [[South Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]], and parts of east Africa. It is not to be confused with [[betel]] (''Piper betle'') leaves that are often used to wrap it. The practice of betel nut chewing, often together with other herbs as a [[stimulant drug]], dates back thousands of years, and continues to the present day in many countries.

Betel nut chewing is addictive due to the presence of the stimulant [[arecoline]], and causes adverse health effects, mainly [[Oral cancer|oral]] and [[esophageal cancer]]s, and cardiovascular disease. When chewed with additional tobacco in its preparation (like in [[gutka]]), there is an even higher risk, especially for oral and [[oropharyngeal cancer]]s. With tobacco it also raises the risk of fatal [[coronary artery disease]], fatal [[stroke]], and adverse reproductive effects including [[stillbirth]], [[Preterm birth|premature birth]], and [[low birth weight]].

Consumption by hundreds of millions of people worldwide—mainly of South/Southeast Asian origins—has been described as a [[public health]] emergency.
[[File:Areca catechu nuts at Kadavoor.jpg|Areca fruits on a tree|thumb]]
[[File:Areca Nut Plantation in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India. (4600092222).jpg|Areca nut plantation in India|thumb]]