| Abstract: |
Hanunóo are in the Phillipines While the overall mechanics of betel chewing are the smae throughout the world, every culture show considerable local specialization and extension into various social and ritual activities. In fact, the most part of the world the social significance outways the physical importance of the drug. Conklin believes that the areca palm is native of Malaysia along with Burkhill (1935). Beccari (1919) suggests Philippines as the origin. Hanunóo consider the areca palm one of the oldest cultivates. There four types of areca grown and are distinguished by differences in size and shape of the nut. Smaller nuts with finer-grained seeds are preferred because the larger the kernel the greater the chance for unpulverized granuales to get stuck in the teeth. It takes about 5 years before a plant will begin to bare fruit. Will contintue to produce for up to 60 years. When the areca is scarce, as in November, or whenever his supply of nutss runs out while in the jungle, there are a number of substitutes available from \u8 different betel plants\u consisting of 5 forest trees and 3 palms only one of which is a cultivate. In order of preference: Trees: 1. reddish inner bark from the \iArtocarpus ovatus\i tree 2. gummy sap from \iArtocarpus\i 3. bark from the \iBreynia cernua\i. Frequently chewed with \iKaram\[1,193]mug\i bark, a substitute for betel leaf. 4. \iAlbizzia procera\i (bark) 5. \iArtocarpus blancoi\i (fruit or bark) Palms: 6. \iPinanga\i sp. (seeds) 7. \iPinanga\i sp. (seeds) 8. \iCocos nucifera\i (fruits) The fresh, excessively acrid cores of very young coconut fruits are chewed only by children An areca seed contains 7 alkaloids including the active toxic principle arecoline (C\-8\-h\-13\-NO\-2\-) which as anthelmintic properties, tannin which accounts for its astringency (especially green nuts), fat, and some sugars. Areca nuts are not used medicinally by the Hanunóo except as a part of the betel chew. \bBetel Leaf\b Among the Hanunóo and many other betel chewers, longitudinal strips cut or striped from the fibrous areca husks are used extensively to clean the teeth and other brushing purposes. The betel leaf (\iPiper betle\i L.), personal and truade purposes, are no less than 10 centimeters (4 inches) long, and in general the larger the leaf the more desirable it is. There are \u5 distinct forms of betel leaf\u used and vary by taste and smell. In order of preference: 1. least biter 2. most pungent, peppery leaf 3. bad-smelling leaes
less peppery, more biter tasting 4. (\iPiper retrofractum\i) foul-smelling, though different from #3 5. stinking leaves also different from #3 and #4. Grows in coastal regions \u5 substitute leaves in order of preference:\u 1. \iCalliparpa erioclona\i (tree: inner bark of stem or root). 2. \iGmelina\i spp. (tree: reddish leaves which have fallen to the ground). 3. \iPremma\i spp. (tree: reddish leaves which have fallen to the ground). 4. \iEhretia navessi\i and \iE. philippinensis\i (tree: inner bark) 5. unidentified (herb, found only on higher mountain peaks
leaves). Also, the 3-12 cm long betel-pepper-leaf petioles are chewed occasionally as a substitute. Vines planted in August as a lot water is needed in early grwoing period. Leaves close the ground have an offensive smell and mature slowly. They are generally plucked so that the vine will spread out faster and produce large rapid-growth leaves on the upper branches. Leaf size varies at all heights. Yellower, more peppery leaves, however, are found only towards the top. Betel leaves contain a volatile so-called "betel oil" which consists of a misture of certain phenols and terpene-like constituents. Other substances found in betel leaves are postassium nitrate, a small amount of tannin, and some sugar and starch (removed by bleaching), cardinine, and an alkaloid, arakene. The betel oil accounts for most of the shaprness in taste and aroamtics qualities of the leaf. Quisumbing (1951) reports a wide variety of medicinal uses for \iPiper betle\i. Among the Hanunóo a betel leaf warmed over \ikamangyan\i incense is applied to the forehead for relieving headache pains. In other cases where betel is used medicinally the leaf is first chewed with lime and areca seeds. \bSalked Lime\b In most parts of the betel using area, especially in coastal regions, slaked lime is manufactured locally from sea shells. In order of shell preference: sea mollusks, fresh water mollusks, and land snails. More than 40 types of marine species on the whole are the best source in both quality and abundance. The most valued is the giant Tridacna clam, a bivalve exceeding a meter in breadth. Four types of fesh water shells. Lime produced by fresh water shells is weaker flavored, grayish in color and must be taken in large quantities before the chew reddens. land mollusks are employed for lime making only by the Hanunóo who eat the flesh of the same species. It said that land snail lime is acrid instead of strong tasting, fails to redden the chew, and turns the saliva into a light foam. How lime is made is on Page 13. lime is either stored wet (coastal people) or dry (mountain people) types of storage containers: \bwet\b- usually in a squat, wide-mouthed, uncovered or loosely covered metal or shell container
and removal is facilitated by using a small spatula. \bdry\b- small-mouthed, tightly plugged or capped, and frequently long-necked, or tubular containers made of ligneous materials, horn, glass, or metal. The only completely open container used by the Hanunóo is a truncated \iConus\i shell. After sawing off the apex half of the shell and filing the top and bottom smooth with a steel file, the interior sections are removed by light pounding with a blunt section of steel rod or the tail of bolo blade. When carried the shell is placed in a special type of basket only slightly larger than the shell so that bits of other substnaces will not get into the lime and effect flavor. There are least 10 types of dry containers with a average Hanunóo owning 3 or 4 at any one time. These are decorated with incising, carving, etc. Description of 10 types on page 15 and 16. \bTobacco\b tobacco strips are included in every quid. \bProcedure\b Except during meals, Hanunóo may prepare and chew betel at any place and at any time of day or night provided: 1) the four types are available 2) chewer or chewers can remain relatively inactive for a few minutes to prepare the combination 3) there are no social taboos preventing it Betel quids are rarely chewed alone. Whenever two or more individuals meet, however, the only polite form of greeting- and there is practically no other formal or informal means of salutation in Hanunóo. Two features which typify the verbal part of such exchange: requesting and apologizing. There is never any direct offering of ingredients minus these features. The person who speaks first- and in a host-guest situation this is usually the host- asks one of hte other for betel leaf or areca nut. He is answer by apology either for not having any or it poor quality. In the first case the original speaker will beg from others present, or be forced to furnish the items himself. In the latter case, the item will be accepted. Further reuqests, apologies, and acceptances follow- not always in the same order or direction- until everyone is supplied. In this exchange, which must be completed before any other form of social intercourse may proceed, one does not refuse a request if it is granted. However, for the sake of politness, one frequently has to ask for items which are not actually needed. The tongue and gums maybe burn severely if a miscalculation ismade as to how much lime should be added. It takes 12-15 minutes to exhaust the flavor of one chew. The quid "waste" when mixed with charred tobacco leaves, ginger, and garlic is one of the most commonly used topical application for treating stomach-ache. The average adult Hanunóo, during a day a moderate activity and with an ample supply with chew 25-35 quids which implies the consumption of the following approximate amounts of ingredients: 4 areca seeds 8 betel leaves 3 tobacco leaves 30 cc. slaked lime \bAlternative Procedures\b If the nut is old or dry, the Hanunóo divide the entire fruit into four equal divisions before prying out the quarter seed sections In other parts of the betel-chewing area, areca seeds are sometimes removed by using special husking shears, by sun drying split nuts then picking out the kernel (as in Malaya), or by boiling the fruits until the seeds drop out (as in India). In the last case much of the flavor is lost and must therefore be replaced by an extract known as \bKossa\b which is made by bioling lime with areca nut embryos until a red brown paste, later thickened by sun drying, is obtained. Also among the Hanunóo, the toothless aged and those suffering from toothache pulverize the seed mixed with ground tobacco with moral and pestle. Only in China where the \iPiper betle\i does not grow, is the areca seed chewed alone. In most cases, Hanunóo children less than 10 years old chew betel only irregularly. They do howeverhave weaker chews that subitute for betel. One is slaked lime mixed with shavings from the bark or wood of the \iCaesalpinia sappan\i tree. The other consists of lime chewed with shavings from the stems of \iSaccharum officinarum\i (type of sugar cane). Both these combinations are pleasant flavored and darken the saliva enough to satisfy the children. \bGeneral Use and Effects\b Betel quids are beneficial for the following reasons: 1) sweetens the breadth. Believed mouth is foul smelling without betel. 2) removes food particles after meals. 3) prophylactic in keeping gums strong and in preventing excessive tooth decay, especially after dental injury or filing of the incisors 4) stimulant 5) keep chewer warm in cold or wet weather 6) mouth from drying out and allays hunger temporarily Hanunóo know also of side-effects. 1) overdose of lime, makes the masitcation of salty foods and certain vegetables very painful 2) swallowing too much of the chew causes dizziness, mainly due to tobacco juice 3) some old areca palms produce fruits the kernels of which cause mild dizziness and excessive salivation lasting for up to an hour. Such areca nuts cannot be distinguished easily except by mastication Overindulgence is NOT possible. No physical ailment is attributed to excessive betel usage, nor is chewing forbeidden during the treatment of such an illness. The areca seeds (from the alkoloids) reduces high blood pressure. The tanic acid fortifies the gum and reduces bacteria. Hence has antiseptic qualities. Insoluble calcium tannate is formed in large quanities, by which cement to teeth. While the Hanunóo teen-agers file their teeth and blacken them, betel quids along do not flatten, nor produce black stains, although they may be temporarily stained orange-brown provided the mouth is not rinsed out after chewing. This, of course, is noticeable only in small children and in those few adults (<5%) who have not ebonied their teeth with \iRaphidophora merrillii\i vines. Betel is used in 12 frequently recurring cultural contexts. 1) meeting on the trail 2) visiting relatives 3) visiting friends 4) visiting eligible spouses 5) visiting personal enemies 6) returning home 7) conversation 8) courting 9) group activities 10) serving the dead 11) observing taboos (when not to chew) 12) ritual communication with nonancetral spirits \bConclusions\b The social and religious function are more important than the physiological effects.
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