Can Areca Nut Be Eaten Raw? Things You Need to Know About Eating Areca Nut Raw
Areca nut can be eaten raw; chewing areca nut is a habit of women of the Li, Zhuang and other ethnic groups. When chewing, it is wrapped in “betel leaf” with a small amount of lime paste, placed in the mouth and chewed and swallowed slowly until the mouth produces saliva and the lips turn red.
1. The harms of areca nut
1. Bad for the teeth themselves: long-term chewing of areca nut severely wears down the teeth, causing them to turn red and black, and even fall out prematurely.
2. Bad for the periodontium: areca nut juice mixed with lime easily forms tartar, which not only affects appearance but also affects periodontal health. Areca nut fiber is coarse and hard, and may also prick the gums or block the gaps between teeth, causing pressure on the gums and inflammation.
3. Bad for the oral mucosa: in mild cases it may cause mucosal lesions, and in severe cases it may develop into oral cancer.
4. Bad for the temporomandibular joint: long-term chewing increases the load on the temporomandibular joint, causing symptoms such as joint clicking and pain. In severe cases it can also lead to perforation of the articular disc.
5. Effects on the digestive system: some components of areca nut damage the taste nerves and saliva secretion, affecting digestive function. In addition, areca nut residue also irritates the stomach wall, and in severe cases can cause inflammation or even perforation of the gastric mucosa.
2. The value of areca nut
1. Areca nut contains a variety of nutritional elements and beneficial substances needed by the human body. The main components of the raw areca nut are 31.1% phenolics, 18.7% polysaccharides, 14.0% fat, 10.8% crude fiber, 9.9% water, 3.0% ash and 0.5% alkaloids.
2. Areca nut has the effects of “expelling parasites, breaking accumulations, directing qi downward and relieving stagnation, and promoting water metabolism and resolving dampness.” It was once used to treat parasitic infections such as tapeworm, hookworm, roundworm, pinworm and fasciolopsis. Simo Tang, composed of areca nut, combined spicebush root, ginseng and agarwood, is mainly used to treat “qi rebellion due to the seven emotions, upward rushing of qi with rapid breathing, and chest oppression with inability to eat.” There is a folk tradition of giving Simo Tang to infants one week after birth, said to be good for the child's stomach and intestines so that they will not have stomach trouble later.
3. Areca nut has high economic value, and about 1500-2000 plants can be grown per hectare. Chinese areca nut varieties have high yields, with a single plant yield of about 30kg, and high economic value. People in Hainan, Taiwan, China, Hunan and other places in China have had the habit of consuming areca nut since ancient times, and it is a major chewing food. Processing output value alone reaches 3.5 billion yuan, providing 200,000 jobs. The market potential is large. With the injection of science and technology, deep-processed products are rich in variety, the consumer market is gradually expanding, and the market prospects are better.