Gardening Directory




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.





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