Abstract
Betel nut, the fruit of Areca catechu L, has a long medical history in Southeast Asia. It is native to Malaysia and is cultivated and processed extensively in subtropical regions, such as South China and India. Betel nut almost appears as a “snack” in various occasions in most parts of China. Clinically, betel nut can play a certain pharmacology role and was used in malaria, ascariasis, arthritis, enterozoic abdominalgia, stagnation of food, diarrhea, edema, and beriberi. The nervous excitement of betel nut chewing has made it gradually become popular. However, chewing betel nut can induce oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF) and oral cancer (OC). At the same time, long-term chewing of betel nut also causes inhaled asthma, sperm reducing, betel quid dependence (BQD), and uterine and esophageal cancers. The main components of processed betel nut are the goal of this review. This study will mainly start from the pharmacological activity and toxicology study of betel nut in recent years, aiming to seek its advantages and disadvantages. In the meantime, this study will analyze and emphasize that betel nut and arecoline are the high-risk factors for oral cancer, which should arouse attention and vigilance of the public.
Highlights
Betel nut is the dried seed of the fruit from the Areca palm, which is cultivated in South and Southeast Asian countries
Betel nut is an important traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been used since antiquity [1]
Chusri et al [20] investigated the biological activity of traditional herbal formulas to heal wounds and found that ethanol extracts containing betel nut and other four herbs can play an antibacterial role including against Staphylococcus aureus (SA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and so on
Summary
Betel nut is the dried seed of the fruit from the Areca palm, which is cultivated in South and Southeast Asian countries. India, Malaysia, and Bangladesh have the world’s largest annual production in the world. Betel nut is an important traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been used since antiquity [1]. It is estimated [2] that about more than 600 million people chew and eat betel nut. In addition to its medicinal use, there is a widespread abuse of addiction of betel nut, which is considered the fourth most used stimulant
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