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.