Editing Areca nut (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Betel nut palms in Ponda, Goa.jpeg|Areca nut palm plantation in [[Goa]], India|thumb]]

The areca nut is not a [[true nut]], but rather the seed of a fruit categorized as a [[Berry (botany)|berry]]. It is commercially available in dried, cured, and fresh forms. When the husk of the fresh fruit is green, the nut inside is soft enough to be cut with a typical knife. In the ripe fruit, the husk becomes yellow or orange, and as it dries, the fruit inside hardens to a wood-like consistency. At that stage, the areca nut can only be sliced using a special [[scissors]]-like cutter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Darmein |last2=Usman |first2=Ramli |last3=Rusli |date=2019-06-01 |title=Angle Setting Between Two Cutters' Blades of Dried Areca Nut Peeling Machines Due to Increase Its Production |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/536/1/012091 |journal=IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering |volume=536 |issue=1 |pages=2 |doi=10.1088/1757-899X/536/1/012091 |issn=1757-8981|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Usually for chewing, a few slices of the nut are wrapped in a [[betel]] leaf along with [[calcium hydroxide]] (slaked lime) and may include [[clove]], [[cardamom]], [[catechu]] resin (''kattha''), or other spices for extra flavouring. Betel leaf has a fresh, peppery taste, but it can also be bitter to varying degrees depending on the variety.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Areca nuts are chewed for their effects as a mild stimulant,<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Gupta Prakash Chandra |author2=Ray Cecily S |title=Epidemiology of betel quid usage |journal=Ann. Acad. Med. Singap. |volume=33 |issue=4 Suppl |pages=31–6 |date=July 2004 |doi=10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.V33N4p31S |pmid=15389304 |url=http://www.annals.edu.sg/pdf200409/V33N4p31S.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612061329/http://www.annals.edu.sg/pdf200409/V33N4p31S.pdf |archive-date=2009-06-12 }}</ref> causing a warming sensation in the body and slightly heightened alertness, although the effects vary from person to person.

The first nut cultivation in the world was done in Kyasanuru Seeme area of Shimoga district in Karnataka state of India. Even today the cultivators plant the same variety here. Kyasanuru variety gives high yield. Grows wildly in all regions.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In parts of India, [[Sri Lanka]], and southern China, areca nuts are not only chewed along with betel leaf, but are also used in the preparation of [[Ayurvedic Medicine|Ayurvedic]] and [[Chinese herbology|traditional Chinese medicines]]. Powdered areca nut is used as a constituent in some [[dentifrice]]s.<ref name=Bhat>{{cite journal | last1 = Bhat | first1 = R. | last2 = Ganachari | first2 = S. | last3 = Deshpande | first3 = R. | last4 = Ravindra | first4 = G. | last5 = Venkataraman | first5 = A. | title = Rapid Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Areca Nut (Areca catechu) Extract Under Microwave-Assistance | doi = 10.1007/s10876-012-0519-2 | journal = Journal of Cluster Science | volume = 24 | pages = 107–114 | year = 2012 | s2cid = 94299039 }}</ref> Other traditional uses include the removal of [[tapeworm]]s and other [[intestinal parasite]]s by swallowing a few teaspoons of powdered areca nut, drunk as a [[decoction]], or by taking tablets containing the extracted alkaloids.<ref name=Bhat/> According to traditional Ayurvedic medicine, chewing areca nut and betel leaf is a good remedy against [[halitosis|bad breath]].<ref>[[Naveen Patnaik]], ''The Tree of Life''</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=June 2013}} Diplomat [[Edmund Roberts (diplomat)|Edmund Roberts]] noted that Chinese people would mix areca nut with ''[[Uncaria gambir]]'' during his visit to China in the 1830s.<ref name=Roberts1>{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=Edmund|title=Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat|year=1837|publisher=Harper & Brothers|location=New York|page=138|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7317/view/1/138/}}</ref> After chewing a betel nut, the red residue is generally spat out. Accordingly, places have banned chewing this nut to avoid [[eyesore]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ph.junctionnews.com/chewing-spitting-of-betel-nut-in-city-to-be-banned/|title=Chewing, spitting of betel nut in city to be banned|last=The Junction|date=2018-06-08|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baguioheraldexpressonline.com/chewing-spitting-of-betel-nut-in-city-to-be-banned/|title=Chewing, spitting of betel nut in city to be banned|last=Herald Express|date=27 May 2018|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/papuanewguinea/4140970/Papua-New-Guinea-bans-betel-nut.html|title=Papua New Guinea bans betel nut|journal=Daily Telegraph|last=Malkin|first=Bonnie|date=2009-01-06|access-date=2019-04-23|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

=== Chemistry ===
The major [[alkaloid]] in betel nut is [[arecoline]]. There are other compounds, such as [[arecaidine]], [[guvacine]], [[isoguvacine]], and [[guvacoline]]. [[Tannin]]s present in betel nut are mainly [[proanthocyanidin]]s along with catechins and arecatannin.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}} Two new alkaloids were recently discovered and named acatechu A and acatechu B.<ref name="pmid31351128">{{cite journal |vauthors=Cao M, Yuan H, Daniyal M, Yu H, Xie Q, Liu Y, Li B, Jian Y, Peng C, Tan D, Peng Y, Choudhary MI, Rahman AU, Wang W |title=Two new alkaloids isolated from traditional Chinese medicine Binglang the fruit of Areca catechu |journal=[[Fitoterapia]] |volume=138 |issue= |pages=104276 |date=October 2019 |pmid=31351128 |doi=10.1016/j.fitote.2019.104276 |s2cid=198952787 |url= |issn=}}</ref> Several non-alkaloid compounds including benzenoids, [[terpenes]], [[carboxylic acid]]s, [[aldehyde]]s, alcohols, and [[ester]]s were also identified.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Pangzhen |last2=Sari |first2=Elizabeth Fitriana |last3=McCullough |first3=Michael J. |last4=Cirillo |first4=Nicola |title=Metabolomic Profile of Indonesian Betel Quids |journal=Biomolecules |date=13 October 2022 |volume=12 |issue=10 |pages=1469 |doi=10.3390/biom12101469 |pmid=36291678 |pmc=9599835 |issn=2218-273X|doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Lao woman chewing paan.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|right|A woman with the characteristic red-stained teeth and gums from long term use.]]
[[File:Spit from chewing Areca nut 02.JPG|Chewing betelnut produces a red residue, which is spat out|thumb]]