Betel nut chewing

Chiang WT, Yang CC, Deng JF, Bullard M. (1998). Cardiac arrhythmia and betel nut chewing—is there a causal effect Vet Hum Toxicol. 40(5) 287-89. 

Hung DZ, Deng JF. (1998). Acute myocardial infarction temporally related to betel nut chewing. Veterinary Hum Toxicol. 40(1) 25-28. 

Taylor RF, al-Jarad N, John LM, Conroy DM, Barnes NC. (1992). Betel-nut chewing and asthma. Lancet 339(8802) 1134-36. 

Gilbert RM. Betel-nut chewing in Toronto. In The Journal, 5. Toronto Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario, April 1, 1986. 

Betel nut chewing is a common practice in some Asian and Pacific cultures. In subjects with schizophrenia the chewing of betel nut has been preliminarily associated with fewer positive and negative symptoms (Sullivan et al., 2000). Constituents of betel nut have cholinomimetic properties as well as possibly also inhibitory effects on cholinesterase (Gilani et al., 2004). Arecoline, a major component of betel nut, is a known muscarinic and nicotinic agonist (Tripathi, 1983). 

Sekkadde Kiyingi K, Saweri A, Betel nut chewing causes bronchoconstriction in some asthma... 

Nuts have many uses, both industrial and domestic. For instance, the ivory nut, or tagua, is a source material for the manufacture of buttons and turnery articles. The kola nut supplies ingredients for popular cola beverages in the United States (see Carbonated beverages). StTychnos nux-vomica provides the important medicine and poison, strychnine. The areca or betel nut is chewed by the Indian and Malayan people as a narcotic a slice of the nut is placed in a leaf of the pepper plant Piper betle) together with a pinch of lime the mixture is an acrid, astringent narcotic that dyes the mouth red, blackens and destroys the teeth. The areca nut contains, among other alkaloids, arecoline, an active anthelminthic widely used in veterinary practice for the treatment of tapeworm infections. 

Betel-Quid and Areca Nut Chewing (IARC Monograph) International Agency for Research on Cancer Lyon, France, 1985 Vol. 37, pp 141-291. 

The choline ester, carbachol, activates M-cholinoceptors, but is not hydrolyzed by AChE. Carbachol can thus be effectively employed for local application to the eye (glaucoma) and systemic administration (bowel atonia, bladder ato-nia). The alkaloids, pilocarpine (from Pilocarpus jaborandi) and arecoline (from Areca catechu betel nut) also act as direct parasympathomimetics. As tertiary amines, they moreover exert central effects. The central effect of muscarinelike substances consists of an enlivening, mild stimulation that is probably the effect desired in betel chewing, a widespread habit in South Asia. Of this group, only pilocarpine enjoys therapeutic use, which is limited to local application to the eye in glaucoma... 

It is obtained from the betel nut Areca catechu and has got muscarinic and weak nicotinic actions. It has no therapeutic value except for chewing to promote salivary secretion and in pan masala etc. 

The nut of the palm Areca catechu contains a mildly stimulatory alkaloid and in some Asian countries the chewing of pieces of the nut is enjoyed because of the mild euphoric state it induces. Restrictions in the use of betel nut remain rather few despite some... 

Tobacco Habits Other than Smoking Betel-Quid and Areca-Nut Chewing and Some Related Nitrosamines... 

Betel nut, the source of arecoline, is dried, smoked or salted in preparation for chewing by the natives of southern Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines and eastern Africa. The pieces are rolled in a betel leaf vine which has been smeared with quicklime. Chewing this concoction makes the saliva red. The musical South Pacific has Bloody Mary as one of its main characters. Her name denoted the color of her tongue and teeth. 

Suspect human carcinogen and known genotoxic agent Arecoline. One of the alkaloids present in betel nuts, the chewing of which leads to oral cancer (79MH0507, 82MI10503)... 

Nicotinic acid undoubtedly provides the basic skeleton for some other alkaloids. Ricinine (Figure 6.35) is a 2-pyridone structure and contains a nitrile grouping, probably formed by dehydration of a nicotinamide derivative. This alkaloid is a toxic constituent of castor oil seeds (Ricinus communis Euphorbiaceae), though the toxicity of the seeds results mainly from the polypeptide ricin (see page 434). Arecoline (Figure 6.36) is found in Betel nuts (Areca catechu Palmae/Arecaceae) and is a tetrahydronicotinic acid derivative. Betel nuts are chewed in India and Asia for the stimulant effect of arecoline. 

Areca nuts (betel nuts) are the seeds of Areca catechu (Palmae/Arecaceae), a tall palm cultivated in the Indian and Asian continents. These nuts are mixed with lime, wrapped in leaves of the betel pepper (Piper betle) and then chewed for their stimulant effect, and subsequent feeling of well-being and mild intoxication. The teeth and saliva of chewers stain bright red. The major stimulant alkaloid is arecoline (up to 0.2%) (Figure 6.36), the remainder of the alkaloid content (total about 0.45%) being composed of related reduced pyridine... 

Sullivan RJ, Allen JS, Otto C, Tiobech J, Nero K. 2000. Effects of chewing betel nut (Areca catechu) on the symptoms of people with schizophrenia in Palau, Micronesia. Br J Psychiatry 177 174-178. 

Areca nut 1 Procydidine (used to control extrapyramidal -parkinsonian - with antipsychotic medications) Caused severe rigidity and jaw tremor. This is an established and clinically significant interaction Procydidine is an antimuscarinic agent, i.e. antagonizes the effects of ACh in one set of ACh receptors. Thus, herbal products used culturally with effects similar to ACh, e.g. areca nut will produce enhanced effects at other -nicotinic - receptors to produce adverse effects Avoid chewing betel nut (also found in prepared pan masala )... 

In Southeast Asia, the betel nut, which in fact is the seed of the betel palm (Areca catechu), is commonly used for its mildly narcotic effect. The betel nut is chewed with a leaf of a local pepper plant and this in combination with a bit of lime makes the mouth and saliva red. With constant use, the teeth of betel addicts turn black. It has been estimated that a tenth of the world population chews betel nuts. 

Arecoline is an alkaloid in the betel nut, which is chewed extensively throughout India and southeast Asia. Presumably the lime mix in the chews provides the necessary alkaline pH to maximise its buccal absorption. It produces a mild euphoric effect like many cholinomimetic alkaloids. 

Many of the world s population (more than 200 million people worldwide) chew betel nut quid, a combination of areca nut, betel pepper leaf (from Piper betle), hme paste, and tobacco leaf. The major alkaloid of the areca nut, arecoline, can produce chohnergic adverse effects (such as bronchoconstriction) (1) as well as antagonism of anticholinergic agents (2). The lime in the betel quid causes hydrolysis of arecohne to arecaidine, a central nervous system stimulant, which accounts, together with the essential oil of the betel pepper, for the euphoric effects of chewing betel quid. 

Areca catechu is a palm tree cultivated in Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. The nuts of this palm, often referred to as betel nuts, are chewed by more than 200 million people to produce a mildly stimulating effect. So, though not often seen in the United States, areca is one of the world s most popular drugs. Chewing areca or betel is a practice similar to chewing tobacco in the United States, and, like nicotine, the active chemical in areca, arecoline, affects the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Users appear to develop a nicotine-like dependence on areca. Heavy use stains the mouth and lips red and damages the mouth and teeth, but users are often unable to quit chewing despite these problems (Spinella, 2001). 

Oral cavity cancers have been associated with cigarettes, alcohol, and chewing tobacco or snuff or betel nut quid (popular in parts of Asia). Cancer of the oral cavity is not common in the Western world but frequently found in some developing countries including India, where it accounts for approximately 8% of all malignancies. Risk factors associated with oral cancers include excessive alcohol consumption, although the effects of alcohol are sometimes hard to differentiate from tobacco use since persons... 

Esophageal cancer has been related to the use of alcohol and nitrosamines and possibly chewing betel nut (popular in parts of Asia). Other risk factors include a history of ingestion of alkaline corrosive agents, including lye. Nutritional deficiencies have also been linked to this type of malignancy. 

Seed of the tropical palm Areca catechu. Betel nuts may be chewed solely, but also in combination with lime and betel leaves (Piper betel). The betel leaves, which contain phenols, probably produce synergistic effects in combination with betel nuts. Lime (Ca(OH)2) quickens the absorption of the main psycho-active ingredients, areco-line qv and structurally related alkaloids. The practice of betel-chewing is widespread throughout Asia and dates from over 7000 years ago. 8-10 g of pulverized nut may be lethal. 

The chewing of "betel quid" is a popular habit in India and Southeast Asia. Areca catechu nut (betel nut) is often a major component of the quid. The alkaloids of Areca, which have a variety of biological activities, have continued to generate considerable interest. 

The alkaloid arecoline is illustrative of such a situation. The drug, which is obtained from the areca or betel nut (Areca catechu), has been chewed as a euphoric stimulant in southern Asia for centuries. It is used today mainly as a large-animal anthelmintic because of its strong peristaltic and cathartic action. Having a pKa of 7.6, it is 60% protonated at... 

Tobacco habits other than smoking betel-quid and areca-nut chewing and some related nitrosamines ... 

The areca nut or betel nut is the fruit of Areca catechu L., a palm tree of the far East. The nut is consumed in large quantities by the natives. Adams (74) describes a limestone quarry at Getembe, near Kandy, Ceylon, from which the quarried stone is burnt and the resulting quicklime when slaked is all sold to the Singhalese to mix with ground areca nuts. The mixture is wrapped in betel leaves Piper belle L.) and chewed by the natives. 

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