As is the case with most tobacco related products, there is the risk of developing oral cancer if you eat paan too often. Consuming the betel leaf on its own, however, is not that harmful. If you have never been exposed to this leaf before, it makes sense to perform a patch test in order to see whether or not you are allergic to it. If you are generally susceptible to allergies, this is definitely a good idea. You should always consult with your doctor before adding anything new to your diet or lifestyle in case it does not suit you. Moreover, as is the case with a lot of tobacco related products, chewing paan can be slightly addictive. But the addiction here is to the tobacco in it, and not the leaf itself.
==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.