Areca catechu

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Areca catechu
Areca Palm Seeds Forming Coorg Feb24 A7C 09499.jpg
Betel nuts3.jpg
Betel nuts
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Areca
Species:
A. catechu
Binomial name
Areca catechu
Synonyms [2]
  • Areca faufelGaertn.
  • Areca hortensisLour.
  • Areca cathechuBurm.f.
  • Areca catechu f. communisBecc.
  • Areca catechu var. albaBlume
  • Areca catechu var. batanensisBecc.
  • Areca catechu var. longicarpaBecc.
  • Areca catechu var. nigraGiseke
  • Areca catechu var. silvaticaBecc.
  • Areca himalayanaGriff. ex H.Wendl.
  • Areca macrocarpa Becc.
  • Areca nigraGiseke ex H.Wendl.
  • Sublimia arecaComm. ex Mart.

Areca catechu is a species of palm native to the Philippines cultivated for areca nuts. [1] [3] [2] It was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 1500 BCE due to its use in betel nut chewing. [3] It is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Taiwan, Madagascar, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China (Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan), India, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, parts of the Pacific Islands, and also in the West Indies. [4] [5]

Contents

Its fruits (called areca nuts or betel nuts) are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects.

Taxonomy

19th century drawing of Areca catechu Areca catechu - Kohler-s Medizinal-Pflanzen-014.jpg
19th century drawing of Areca catechu

Common names in English include areca palm, areca nut palm, betel palm, betel nut palm, Indian nut, Pinang palm and catechu. [1] This palm is commonly called the betel tree because its fruit, the areca nut, which are often chewed along with the betel leaf, a leaf from a vine of the family Piperaceae.

The species was first published by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum on page 1189 in 1753. [2]

Description

Areca nut garden Areca nut garden (1).jpg
Areca nut garden

Areca catechu is a medium-sized palm tree, growing straight to 20 m (66 ft) tall, with a trunk 10–15 cm (4–6 in) in diameter. The leaves are 1.5–2 m (4.9–6.6 ft) long, pinnate, with numerous, crowded leaflets.

Chemical composition

The seed contains alkaloids such as arecaidine and arecoline, which, when chewed, are intoxicating and slightly addictive. The seed also contains condensed tannins (procyanidins) called arecatannins, [6] which are carcinogenic.

The antibacterial activity of the seed has been studied. [7]

Uses

Areca catechu farm in Kerala, India Areca farm.jpg
Areca catechu farm in Kerala, India

Betel nut chewing

Areca catechu is grown for its commercially important seed crop, the areca nut, which is the main component of the practice of betel nut chewing. It is popular throughout Southeast Asia, South Asia, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea and some nearby islands, parts of southern China, Madagascar, and the Maldives. The nut itself can be addictive and has direct link to oral cancers. [8] [9] Chewing areca nut is a cause of oral submucous fibrosis, a premalignant lesion which frequently progresses to mouth cancer. [10] [11]

The practice of chewing areca nuts originated in Island Southeast Asia, where the areca palm is native. The oldest known evidence of areca nut chewing was found in a burial pit in the Duyong Cave site in the Philippines (to which areca palms are native), which dates to around 4,630±250 BP. Its diffusion is closely tied to the Neolithic expansion of the Austronesian peoples. It was spread to the Indo-Pacific during prehistoric times, reaching Micronesia at 3,500 to 3,000 BP, Near Oceania at 3,400 to 3,000 BP; South India and Sri Lanka by 3,500 BP; Mainland Southeast Asia by 3,000 to 2,500 BP; Northern India by 1500 BP; and Madagascar by 600 BP. From India, it was also spread westwards to Persia and the Mediterranean. It was also previously present in the Lapita culture, based on archaeological remains dated from 3,600 to 2,500 BP, but it was not carried into Polynesia. [3]

Other uses

The areca palm is also used as an interior landscaping species. It is often used in large indoor areas such as malls and hotels. It will not fruit or reach full size if grown in this way. Indoors, it is a slow-growing, low-water, high-light plant that is sensitive to spider mites and occasionally mealybugs.[ citation needed ]

In India, the dried fallen leaves are collected and hot-pressed into disposable palm leaf plates and bowls. [12]

Cultural significance

Areca nut at Penang's flag Flag of Penang (Malaysia).svg
Areca nut at Penang's flag

In Indonesia and Malaysia there are numerous place names using the words pinang, jambi or jambe (areca in Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, and Old Malay). For example, the cities of Tanjung Pinang, Pangkal Pinang in Indonesia, the Indonesian province of Jambi and Penang Island (Pulau Pinang) off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Fua Mulaku in the Maldives, Guwahati in Assam, Supari(সুপারি) in West Bengal and coastal areas of Kerala and Karnataka in India, are also some of the places named after a local name for areca nut.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areca nut</span> Fruit of the areca palm chewed as a stimulant

The areca nut or betel nut is the fruit of the areca palm. The palm is originally native to the Philippines, but was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 1500 BCE due to its use in betel nut chewing. It is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in much of the tropical Pacific, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of east Africa. It is not to be confused with betel 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gutka</span> Tobacco preparation chewed in South Asia

Gutka, ghutka, guṭkha is a type of betel quid and chewing tobacco preparation made of crushed areca nut, tobacco, catechu, paraffin wax, slaked lime and sweet or savory flavourings, in India, Pakistan, other Asian countries, and North America.

<i>Areca</i> Genus of palms

Areca is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name Areca is derived from a name used locally on the Malabar Coast of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betel</span> Species of plant

Betel is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their leaves which are most commonly used as flavoring in chewing areca nut

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betel nut beauty</span> Female roadside sellers of betel nuts and cigarettes in Taiwan

In Taiwan, a betel nut beauty or binlang girl is a young woman selling betel nuts and cigarettes from a brightly lit glass enclosure while wearing revealing clothing. The term in Chinese comes from Xi Shi, the legendary beauty of imperial China's Spring and Autumn period. Though betel nuts are chewed in many regions in Southeast Asia, the betel nut beauty phenomenon is distinctly Taiwanese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betel nut chewing</span> Preparation of betel leaf and areca nut

Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects, the primary psychoactive compound being arecoline. The practice is widespread in Southeast Asia, Micronesia, Island Melanesia, and South Asia. It is also found among both Han Chinese immigrants and indigenous peoples of Taiwan, Madagascar, and parts of southern China. It was introduced to the Caribbean in colonial times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arecoline</span> Stimulant alkaloid

Arecoline is a nicotinic acid-based mild parasympathomimetic stimulant alkaloid found in the areca nut, the fruit of the areca palm. It is an odourless oily liquid. It can bring a sense of enhanced alertness and energy along with mild feelings of euphoria and relaxation.

<i>Areca triandra</i> Species of palm

Areca triandra, the wild areca palm, is a palm which is often used as ornamental plant. It is native to India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is also reportedly naturalized in Panama and in southern China. As a wild plant, it commonly occurs in littoral forest in Southeast Asia.

<i>Senegalia catechu</i> Species of legume

Senegalia catechu, previously known as Acacia catechu, is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to 15 m (50 ft) in height. The plant is called khair in Hindi, and kachu in Malay; the Malay name was Latinized to "catechu" in Linnaean taxonomy, as the species from which the extracts cutch and catechu are derived. Other common names for it include kher, catechu, cachou, cutchtree, black cutch, and black catechu.

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic, complex, premalignant condition of the oral cavity, characterized by juxta-epithelial inflammatory reaction and progressive fibrosis of the submucosal tissues. As the disease progresses, the oral mucosa becomes fibrotic to the point that the person is unable to open the mouth. The condition is remotely linked to oral cancers and is associated with the chewing of areca nut and/or its byproducts, commonly practiced in South and South-East Asian countries. The incidence of OSF has also increased in western countries due to changing habits and population migration.

<i>Uncaria gambir</i> Species of plant

Uncaria gambir, the gambier or gambir, is a species of plant in the genus Uncaria found in Southeast Asia, mainly Malaysia and Indonesia.

<i>Oncosperma tigillarium</i> Species of palm tree

Oncosperma tigillarium is an Asian species of palm tree in the family Arecaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gending Sriwijaya</span> Indonesian traditional performance (song, music, and dance)

Gending Sriwijaya is the name of the traditional performance whether it is a song, music, as well as dance that originated from Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Both of the song and the dance was created to describes the splendor, cultural refinement, glory and the grandeur of Srivijaya empire that once succeed on unifying the western parts of Indonesian archipelago and Malay world generally.

Smokeless tobacco keratosis (STK) is a condition which develops on the oral mucosa in response to smokeless tobacco use. Generally it appears as a white patch, located at the point where the tobacco is held in the mouth. The condition usually disappears once the tobacco habit is stopped. It is associated with slightly increased risk of mouth cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areca nut production in India</span>

Areca nut production in India is dominant in the coastal region within 400 kilometres (250 mi) from the coast line, and also in some other non-coastal states of India. Areca nut, a tropical crop, is popularly known as betel nut, as its common usage in the country is for mastication with betel leaves. It is a palm tree species under the family of Arecaceae. It has commercial and economic importance not only in India but also in China and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betel chewing in Thailand</span>

Betel quid chewing has always been an important part of Thai culture and tradition. In the past, betel chewing was a popular daily activity among Thais all over the country. Betel comes from the plant known as Areca catechu, which grows wild all over Thailand and is known as หมาก (maak).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paan dan</span> Container for storing paan

A paan dan is a container for storing paan used in South Asian households. It also stores other ingredients such as zarda, supari, kattha, choona, clove, cardamom (elachi), and other accessories. A paan dan is silverware used mostly to store betel leaf, betel seeds and most other spices for making a paan. A paan dan is often made of perforated metal and has several compartments for storing the individual ingredients for making paan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kooradakka</span> Species of tree

The small variety of areca nut is termed in Malayalam as kooradakka. The adakka or kamuku as it is called locally is grown in south India mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Vattamkulam village in Malappuram district of Kerala is historically renowned for its special kooradakka. Areca nut is also popularly known as the supari or common chewing nut. It is not a nut but a fruit. It is the hard round seed which is used for chewing. A medium-sized straight unbranched tree produces three to ten bunches of fruits which change colour to orange when ripe. The husk is discarded and the nut is cleaned and used. The nut is endowed with medicinal properties and is recommended in Ayurveda for a variety of ailments. . Varieties of Arecanut are Subamangala, Mangala, Sumangala, Mohitnagar, Hirehalli dwarf, Samruthi (Andaman), VTLAH 1, 2, Thirthahalli dwarf and Srimangala are the main commercial varieties cultivated in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areca alkaloids</span>

Areca alkaloids are a group of piperidine alkaloids found in the areca nut, the seeds of the areca palm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betel chewing in China</span> Type of drug use in China

Betel chewing in China has a long history, particularly in the southern provinces. In modern times, betel nut chewing is popular nationwide. The social debate over betel nut chewing has led the authorities to introduce some restriction policies, though almost all cities in the country still allow the production, sale, and consumption of betel nut.

References

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  7. Rama Bhat P, Savitri V, Laxmi P, Jenitta E (2016). "A Study on the phytochemical analysis, silver nanoparticle synthesis and antibacterial activity from seed extract of Areca catechu L.". International Journal of Biochemistry Research & Review. 9 (1): 1–9.
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  12. Palm Leaf Plates Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine on the website TheWholeLeafCo.dom; viewed in September 2016