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\babstract\b The seeds of other species such as A. concinna, A. nagnesis Griff, and A. triandra Roxb., are occasionally used as a substitute are areca nuts. pg 951 The percentage of tannin in the raw nuts is 21-30% and tha in the cured variety is around 8-15%. Curing gives the nuts uniform colour by influsion of tannin into mottled parts and makes them sufficiently soft and tender for chewing. pg 951 Most Indian cure the betel nut. Curing is a process by which the kenrnals are bioled for 2-3 hours ina mixture of water and the pervious year's extract of the nuts. Usually copper or earthenware vessels are employed for this process. In India three varieties of cured nuts are available in the market under the names Batlu, Churu, and Lavanga, and Shrivardhani (the best variety). \bPharmacological properties\b pg 955 Areca nut and its alkaloid arecoline have very significant medicinal properties. It has been used (along with the juice from the piper leaf) as an anthelminthic in man and animals. It was considered so efficacious against tapeworm and roundworms and so highly esteemed that it was used in British Pharmacopoea. In general, areca nut is digestive, astringent, cardiotonic and emmenagogue. It is useful for the inflammation of the eyes, giddiness, gleet and alsoforremoving pus from the infected parts. In Ayurveda - the ancient system of Indian medicine - the unripe fruit is reported as cooling, laxative and carminative. Dried nuts are said to sweeten the breadth, strengthen the gums, remove bad taste and produce a stimulant and exhilarant effect on the system, improving appetite and taste. The use of areca nut is recommended in calculous and urine disorders and as an aphrodisiac in the form of a decoction with other aromatic and stimulant substances. The nust is used externally for application to ulcers, for bleeding gums and for vaginal discharges. When the nut is burnt and powdered it is used as a dentifrice. It is also useful for checking heart burn in pregnancy and also for th eblood in the urine. \bSide effects\b pg 955 The chewing of the nuts inexcess is said to give rise to temporary giddiness, griping and strong intestinal irritations, followed by loose motions and may even lead to buccal carcinoma. A mild stimulant, when eaten excessively along with lime, betel leaves and tobacco the chances of development of buccal carcinoma are still enhanced. \bCarcinogenic effects\b pg 955 Betel quid is composed of areca nut, betel leaf, catechu, and lime and sometimes tobacco. Which of these ingredients is responsible for producing oral cancer is a question to be completely answered. According to some, betel quid chewing habit is not a cause of mouth cancer (Eisen 1946) but its results by continued irritation in attrition and malocclusion caused by the chemical products liberated (Balendra 1949). It is also suggested that both tobacco and areca nut contain substances carcinogenic to man (Boyland and Nery 1969). pg 956 Relationship between areca nut chewing and higher incidence of oral cancer in distrcits of Philippines and Siam was also established (Davis et al 1915
Medelson et al 1924).
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