Areca Catechu
This palm is cultivated in all the warmer parts of
Asia for its seed. This is known under the name of betel nut, and
is about the size of a nutmeg. The chewing of these nuts is a
common practice of hundreds of
thousands of people. The nut is cut
into small pieces, mixed with a small quantity of lime, and rolled
up in leaves of the betel pepper. The pellet is chewed, and is hot
and acrid, but possesses aromatic and astringent properties. It
tinges the saliva red and stains the teeth. The practice is
considered beneficial rather than otherwise, just as chewing
tobacco-leaves, drinking alcohol, and eating chicken-salad are
considered healthful practices in some portions of the globe. A
kind of catechu is obtained by boiling down the seeds to the
consistence of an extract, but the chief supply of this drug is
Acacia catechu.
Previous: Ardisia Crenata
Next: Argania Sideroxylon
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