SCIENCE REPORTER, November 201028

Short Feature

GEETIKA

CHEWING pan or betel leaves is anall too prevalent addiction

throughout the country, albeit more soin the northern part. The tell tale signsare very often visible on roadsides, onpublic transport, in residential andcommercial buildings, and often inmost unlikely places like flower potsand even inside lifts.

Betel leaves (pan), particularlywhen taken along with areca nut(supari), catechu (katha) and tobacco(zarda), are considered harmful forhealth. They are taken together for thepsychoactive, stimulant, relaxant andheightened alertness effects they create.

Betel leaves and areca nut havevery important cultural value in manyAsian and Oceanic countries like India,Pakistan, Bangladesh, Taiwan,Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laosand Vietnam. In India, often religiousand marriage ceremonies areincomplete without betel leaves andareca nut.

Betel is cultivated in countries likeIndia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. In Indiathere are many types of leaves likeCalcutta, Banarasi, Magahi etc. Suparior Areca is grown in India, Malaysia,Philippines, Taiwan and PacificCountries like Papua New Guinea. Theseeds contain alkaloids, and when theseseeds are chewed they are intoxicatingand slightly addictive. Catechu orKhair is native to India and Myanmar.Katha is a substance obtained byboiling small chips of heartwood.Tobacco is commercially cultivated inBihar, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,Karnataka, West Bengal, and TamilNadu.

Pan is also chewed as a mouthfreshener in the form of ‘betel-quid’ inwhich betel leaf is smeared with limeand paste of catechu and pieces of arecanut are added. Sometimes tobacco isalso mixed which makes this quid moreharmful. When people becomeaddicted to this type of chewing habit,it causes serious and life-threateningdisorders like oral, oesophageal andstomach cancer. High rates of oralcancer have been found in areas wherechewing of betel quid is very common.

But these plants do not alwayscause diseases. They are also used inthe treatment of many kinds of diseasesif taken in a medicinal dose. Let us takea look at some medicinal properties ofthese potentially dangerous plants.

1. Betel (Pan)Piper betelFamily: Piperaceae� It is aromatic and used as mouth

freshener.� It has analgesic and cooling

properties—it is applied on templesto get relief from acute headache.

� It is used in the treatment of boils.A leaf is warmed, castor oil issmeared on the leaf, it is then keptover the affected area and is appliedseveral times with a gap of fewhours. The boil gets ruptured.

� It is used in the treatment ofinflammation due to arthritis andjoint pain. Betel leaves are gentlywarmed and applied on theaffected area.

� It is used to get relief during sorethroat and cough. The fruit of betelis crushed and mixed with honeyand taken orally.

� To get relief from cough, betel leafis coated with a thin layer ofmustard oil, warmed and thenapplied on the chest.

� It is an antiseptic, leaves arecrushed and mixed with salt andused to get relief from toothache.

� It is a diuretic. The juice of the betelis mixed with milk and takenorally causing early urination.

� It is astringent and is used to stopbleeding due to cuts.

� It acts as stimulant. The fresh juiceof betel leaves is fixed with ateaspoon of honey as refreshener.It is beneficial to take it twice daily.

� Betel leaves smeared with oil andapplied on breast promote lactation.

2. Areca (Supari)Areca catechuFamily: Arecaceae� It is beneficial in worm infestation.

It kills intestinal parasites such astapeworms, pinworms and roundworms when one teaspoon ofpowdered areca nut is swallowedwith water or drunk as decoction.

� It is used as tooth whitener.Powdered kernel is rubbed onteeth and also useful in treatingdental caries. It is also a constituentin some tooth powders.

Dry nut (Supari) ismasticator and used asmouth freshener thatremoves bad taste frommouth. It also givesstrength to the gum.

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� It is used in sprains, bruises andcontusions. Leaves of areca plantare crushed and mixed withcoconut and then warmed andapplied on the affected area.

� Dry nut is masticator and used asmouth freshener that removes badtaste from mouth. It also givesstrength to the gum.

3. Catechu (katha) Acacia catechuFamily: Mimosaceae� It has astringent and antioxidant

properties. It is used for arrestingexcessive mucous discharge andchecking hemorrhages.

� It is used in treating fever,leucorrhoea, piles and erysipelas.

� It is used as a paste produced byboiling the wood in water for fewhours and then evaporating the brew.

� It is used in treatment ofhaemoptysis, gonorrhoea andchest infection.

� It has rich catechin and is used asmouthwash or gargle forpharyngitis, laryngitis, gingivitisand stomatitis and oral ulcer. Asmall piece is taken in the mouthand allowed to dissolve slowly, itgives relaxation in uvula andsimple pharyngitis.

� It is hepatoprotective and antipyretic.� It is beneficial in the treatment

of boils, ulcers and cutaneouseruptions. For ulcers, powderof catechu is sprinkled overthe affected area. In case of spongygums powder is applied to relievepain.

� A decoction of catechu with honeyis effective in the treatment ofcough.

� It is also beneficial for professionalsingers to keep a small piece ofcatechu in the mouth and dissolve

Short Feature

slowly to get relief from hoarsenessdue to excessive use of voice.

4. Tobacco (tambaku)Nicotiana tobacumFamily: Solanaceae� Leaves are antispasmodic,

discutient, diuretic, emetic,expectorant, narcotic, irritant,sedative.

� It is used externally in thetreatment of rheumatic swelling,skin diseases and scorpion stings,snake and insect bite. Wet tobaccoleaves are applied to stings or biteto get relief from pain.

� A wet tobacco leaf is applied tocure painful limbs.

� The juice of leaves is used to curefacial neuralgia if rubbed alongthe tracks of the affected nerve.

� Juice of leaves is rubbed on thebody as insect repellent.

� Tobacco is generally used inhorticulture as an insecticide.Nicotine is sprayed on vegetablesto prevent insect infestations. It isproduced by boiling strong tobaccoin water for a long period and themixture is applied as a spray.

Dr Geetika is Teaching Environmental Managementin the Department of Botany, Samastipur College,Samastipur, Bihar. Address: W/o Dr Amrendra Kumar‘Aditya’, East of Bhola Talkies, OppositeMadhyamik Shikshak Sangh, Samastipur-848101;E-mail: geetika_vibhav@yahoo.co.in

Betel leafsmearedwith pasteof catechu,sprinkledzarda andchips ofareca nut

Betel-quid

It is beneficial for professionalsingers to keep a small piece ofcatechu in the mouth anddissolve slowly to get relieffrom hoarseness due toexcessive use of voice.

It is

aromatic

and used

as mouth

freshener