Betel Leaf

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Betel Leaf

Other names : Areca catechu L. Family: Palmaceae (palms), Areca, Betel Vine, Paan (Hindi), paan-gutkha pinlang, pinang, Tambula or Nagavalli (in Sanskrit), vetrilai (Tamil), or Tamalapaku (Telugu) , and supari.
The areca tree is a feathery palm that grows to approximately 1.5 m in height and is widely cultivated in tropical India, Bangladesh, Japan, Sri Lanka, south China, the East Indies, the Philippines, and parts of Africa. The tropical palm trees bear fruit all year. The nut may be used fresh, dried, or cured by boiling, baking, or roasting. The quid is a mixture of areca nut, tobacco, and lime wrapped in the leaf of the betel vine (Piper betel L. Family: Piperaceae).
See also : Areca

Special Precautions of Betel Leaf

When you chew a betel leaf, it releases certain active chemicals like catecholamines. These chemicals interact with other secretions of areca nut and slaked lime if you have a betel quid. These chemical interactions may cause serious side effects :

  • May have psychoactive properties
  • Affect your central nervous system (CNS)
  • Cause mouth and esophageal (food pipe) cancer
  • Disturb your oral microbiome (the good microbes in your mouth)
  • Can have a negative impact on pregnancy, childbirth, and fetal development
  • Linked to addiction and withdrawal issues

Moreover, a definite daily intake limit for betel leaves has not been scientifically established yet. Due to these hazardous effects, the World Health Organization (WHO) has publicly stated that betel quid products are a health threat to those consuming them.

Health Benefits and Uses of Betel Leaf

  • In India, Betel leaf (BL) plays an important role since ancient culture. Its use in India dates back to 400 BC. As per ancient books of Ayurveda, Charaka, Sushruta Samhitas, and Kashyapa Bhojanakalpa, the practice of chewing BL after meals became common between 75 AD and 300 AD. Toward the 13th century, European traveler Marco Polo recorded betel chewing among kings and nobles in India. Uses of Betel Leaf. Betel leaves are commonly used as mouth fresheners in India. They are used as a base to wrap up various components of paan, including tobacco, betel nut, sugar syrup, and a few other components. Modern variations of this street favorite include chocolate syrup being poured in the center of the leaf along with all the traditional components. Paan has been used as a mouth freshener since ancient times and is more popular in some cities than in others. The leaf is rolled and wrapped up to create a conical shape and always ingested in one bite. It takes a long time to chew the entire leaf but the flavors and textures of this mouth freshener make it an interesting process. Paan is also used as a flavoring agent in many candies, food and drinks. It is also a popular flavor in hookahs. Paan flavored condoms are also a common sight in drug stores in India. Paan masala, a powdered mixture of paan flavor and tobacco, is also pretty common in India.
  • Importance of BL has been described in ancient books of Ayurveda. Use of BL was known for centuries for its curative properties. In Chinese folk medicine betel leaves are used for the treatment of various disorders and claimed to have detoxification, antioxidation, and antimutation properties. There are number of research experiments on BL, where the leaf extract, fractions, and purified compounds are found to play a role in oral hygiene, and to have various properties including anti-diabetic, cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory, anti-ulcer, hepato-protective, anti-infective, etc., Patents were also awarded for some of the biological activities like anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory associated with the leaf extracts and purified compounds.
  • Diabetes : Betel leaf can help reduce the overall glucose levels in your blood, which is great for people who have Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, people with diabetes often suffer from oxidative stress. This ends up depleting the antioxidant content in the body, which can lead to the buildup of free radicals in the system. Having betel leaf can help prevent this in diabetes and keep their immune system intact.
  • lowers your cholesterol : Having high cholesterol in your blood can increase your chances of getting a stroke. Betel leaves have eugenol in them due to which they aid in lowering your cholesterol levels. Moreover, eugenol also inhibits the amount of cholesterol that is generated in the liver and can help with reducing the amount of lipids absorbed by the intestine. This is very good for your body.
  • Anti-cancer agent : Although betel nuts can increase the risk of tobacco, betel leaves have anti-cancer compounds in them. The leaves have phenolic compounds in them can contain a range of properties such as anti-bacterial, anti-mutagenic, antioxidant, and anti-proliferative. They also have high amounts of phytochemicals, which can help fight cancer. Betel leaves also help fight oxidative stress and eliminate free radicals. Both these factors are important in preventing cancer.
  • Anti-microbial properties : The essential oil that is naturally present in betel leaves has antibacterial properties, which can help fight infections that are caused by bacteria. Moreover, since it is filled with phenolic and phytochemicals, it can be very effecting against gram positive and gram-negative bacteria.
  • helps heal wounds : Betel leaf extract has an extremely strong effect when it comes to healing wounds. This is because betel leaves are filled with antioxidants, which reduce the amount of oxidative stress your body is going through. When your body goes through high oxidative stress, it can delay the rate at which your wounds heal. Thus, betel leaves help with healing wounds. Furthermore, they are particularly effective against healing wounds that are related to burns.
  • helps with asthma : While many people know that asthma is a problem that is related to breathing, not many people know that it is actually also an inflammation problem as well. As betel leaves have anti-inflammatory properties, they can help patients who have asthma. Asthma is usually triggered by histhamine in the system. This is because histhamine causes bronchioconstriction which is a major part of asthma. Betel leaves have anti-histhamine properties in them, which helps prevent and control asthma. Betel oil can also be used for the same purposes.
  • helps with depression : Depression is a serious condition that affects many people around the world. Though there are various antidepressant drugs out there in the market, it is proven that herbal remedies can also cause a significant impact when it comes to treating and managing the disease. One of these popular remedies is to chew betel leaves. This is because they stimulate the activity in the central nervous system, and help produce feelings of light-heartedness, well-being, and even happiness. Betel leaves also help produce aromatic phenolic compounds that end up stimulating the amount of catecholamines in your system, which is directly linked with lowering depression. This can be a good herbal remedy for people who don’t want to get hooked onto medication.
  • improves oral health : Betel leaf is widely used as a mouth freshener in India so it comes as no surprise that it improves oral health. They can help reduce the growth of bacteria in your mouth, preventing a wide range of oral infections and diseases. Betel leaf can also protect your oral cavity from dental caries by reducing the amount of acid that is produced by bacterial saliva.
  • protects your gastric system : The phytochemicals that are present in betel leaves have antioxidant and anti-ulcer properties. Stomach ulcers can lead to the damaging of your stomach lining, decreased production of gastric mucus, and lots of oxidative stress. When you consume betel leaves, your ulcers are healed, the amount of gastric mucus that is produced by your body is increased and the oxidative stress goes down because of the antioxidants. This can not only soothe your digestive system while the ulcers are being healed, but can also save you from a host of stomach related problems in the future that stem from ulcers being neglected.
  • Malaria : Terpenes, which is a healthy compound that is present in betel leaves has strong anti-malaria properties. Also, the flavonoids that are present in betel leaves have strong anti-parasitic properties and they help fight against parasite related strains of malaria. Betel leaves have been used for their anti-malarial properties since ancient times, and this practice started off in Malaysia. It can certainly protect you from the fatal dangers of malaria and can help you fight against this deadly disease.
  • This leaf contains a high amount of a carcinogen called safrole. However, it gets metabolized to dihydroxychavicol and eugenol. Both of these compounds are excreted via urine. Betel leaf exhibits antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anticancer properties. The betel phytochemicals are responsible for these properties. This means betel quids may not be cancer-causing at a non-addictive level of consumption (unless you make them with tobacco). Tobacco quids are linked to oral cancer. In fact, the compounds in betel leaf – hydroxychavicol and chlorogenic acid – counter the carcinogens from tobacco. They can selectively kill the cancerous cells without affecting the healthy cells, unlike common cancer drugs and relevant therapeutic procedures.
  • Aromatherapy : Piper betel oil comes from the heart shaped leaves of the betel plant that have been harvested and used for centuries in traditional medicine. The natural chemical compounds of piper betel are antimicrobial, antifungal, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory. Piper oil can kill various microorganisms that can cause infections on the skin and in the body, and it has a natural expectorant that can loosen phlegm and ease breathing. Piper betel has pain relieving analgesic properties that ease symptoms of swelling, tension, and cramping. Supports skin health and fights acne.
    • Sharp, bitter aroma.
    • Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
    • Eases feminine ailments.

References

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