beetle palm areca catechu€¦ · the combination of areca nut and the betel leaf is ideal to the...

© Confederation of Indian Industry

Beetle palmAreca catechu

Information sourceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areca_catechu

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60278/http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Betel

%20Palm.htmlPhotography Locations

CII-Godrej GBC, Hyderabadhttp://i.pbase.com/o2/12/182212/1/96619813.O58

BG9S4.AncientCities393.jpghttp://www.yogabuffs.com/images/uploads/BETEL

%20WHOLE%20L.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Arecanut.jpg




Native: Africa & Asia

Family: Arecaceae

Height: 20m

Leaf Shape: Pinnate

Evergreen medium Sized Tree

Edible

Grown for its commercially important seed crop, the areca nut


Hindi: चामरपषु्प chamarpushpa, गुवाक

guvak, गूआ, पगू pug, पगूी pugi, पुुंगी

pungi, सपुारी supari,

Manipuri: Khongdrum

Tamil: அடைக்காய் atai-k-kay,

சகுந்தம் chakuntam,

சாமரபுட்பம் chamara-putpam,

Telugu: ఘోంట ghonta, క్రముక్ము

kramukamu, పో క్ poka

Marathi: पोफळ pophal, पगू pug,

पगूफल pugaphal,

Malayalam: kamuk, kavung

Kannada: ಅಡಕೆ adake, ಅಡಿಕೆ adike

Sanskrit: अकोटः akoth, चामरपषु्प

chamarpushpa Beetle palmAreca catechu


The areca nut and the betel

leaf are such important

symbols of love and

marriage

The tradition of chewing

areca nuts starts the talk

between the groom's

parents and the bride's

parents about the young

couple's marriage

The tradition is a good

illustration of the belief that

the combination of areca nut

and the betel leaf is ideal to

the point that they are

practically inseparable, like

an idealized married couple

Mythology



Areca (a-REEK-uh)

catechu (KAT-eh-choo)


One of the interior landscaping species


This palm is often erroneously called the betel tree because its fruit, the areca nut, is often chewed along with the betel leaf



Leaves are 1.5-2 m long, pinnate, with numerous, crowded leaflets


© Confederation of Indian IndustryFemale flowers borne at the base and numerous male flowers extending from there out to the branch tip

Flowers have six tepals, stalkless, creamy-white and fragrant.



Male flowers are minute,deciduous with six stamens and arrowhead-shaped anthers

Female flowers are larger (1.2–2 cmlong), with six small sterile stamens

Both male and female flowers borne in thesame inflorescence



Fibrous, ovoid fruits, yellow to orange or red when ripe, contain the betel nut





Seed contains alkaloids such as arecaine and arecoline, which when

chewed is intoxicating and is also slightly addictive


The seed is one of the major

ingredient of “pan making”


Used in the preparation of Ayurvedic

and Traditional Chinese medicines

Powdered areca nut is used as a

constituent in some tooth powders

Removal of tapeworms and other

intestinal parasites by swallowing a

few teaspoons of powdered areca nut,

drunk as a decoction, or by taking

tablets containing the extracted

alkaloids

Medicinal Value



Used in preparation of Utensils

A perfume is obtained from the flowers in Malaysia

The nuts are made into beads and other fancy articles

Chewing the mixture of areca nut

and betel leaf is a tradition,

custom or ritual Beetle palmAreca catechu


Regular chewers

of betel leaf and

areca nut have a

higher risk of

damaging their

gums and

acquiring cancer

of the mouth,

pharynx,

esophagus and

stomach

Toxicity



Thank you

Thank you

beetle palm areca catechu€¦ · the combination of areca nut and the betel leaf is ideal to the...

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