Talk:Betel nut

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[edit] IARC monographs

Currently the article lists the evaluations of the 1987 monograph regarding betel quid and areca chewing.

"There is inadequate evidence that the habit of chewing betel quid without tobacco is carcinogenic to humans."

There appears to have been another evaluation done in 2004 which is what the WHO article refers to.

http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol85/volume85.pdf

"There is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of betel quid without tobacco. Betel quid without tobacco causes oral cancer."

with an overall evaluation of

"Betel quid without tobacco is carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)." and

"Areca nut is carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)."

It seems like the article needs to be revised regarding this. The IARC summaries and evaluations passage directly contradicts the preceding paragraphs and references.

Inexcusable. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.59.177.244 (talk) 11:53, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Comment 1

this page has also been defaced with several racist word substitutions.

[edit] Nonsense

This page is complete nonsense. For a couple of reasons...

  • It isn't a "betel nut", it is an Areca nut from an Areca palm tree. It is only erroneously called a "Betel Nut" because people often eat it with the leaves from a completely unrelated type of shrub called Betel.
  • As far as I know, the drug is in the Betel leaves, NOT the Areca nuts. Areca nuts just change the taste of the drug and make it red. Carl Kenner 21:15, 12 November 2006 (UTC)
    • I'm wrong. I did some more research and apparently both the Areca nut and the Betel leaf contain different mind-altering drugs. Carl Kenner 21:40, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

By the way, the calcium oxide "lime" chemical (not the citrus fruit) keeps the Betel drug in its freebase form so it can enter the bloodstream.

Carl Kenner 21:15, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

I think Piper betel is more of a vine than a shrub, as for the slaked lime bit, can you cite a good explanation of how this interacts with the drugs?--AnonyGnome 05:40, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

  • Chemically, slaked lime is a base, meaning that it attracts H+ ions ("protons") and makes them less available to other molecules. Therefore, it deprives the main psychoactive "alkaloids" in betel nut (mainly arecoline) of its loosely-attached hydrogen atom, but not of that atom's electron, leaving the alkaloid "ionized" (electrically charged). Compared with its non-ionized state (which is more prevalent in the absence of slaked lime), it is now far more likely to cling to water molecules and to get pulled along with them; in other words, it dissolves much better in water (and saliva). In practical terms, this means that the lime has converted the active ingredient from its "freebase" form so that it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. People chew coca leaves with lime for the same reason. Myron 12:27, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] is it a nut?

Isn't a seed part of a nut (a fruit)? The opening sentence implies they are the same (or the name is a misnomer). A-giau 11:39, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

I've a feeling that the Betel nut is a nut in the same sense that a coconut is, ie, not at all. AnonyGnome 02:00, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] It might be helpful to talk about the preperation within a leaf with lime...

I just tried some today in Taiwan and each nut came wrapped in a leaf with some lime (the chemical). It wasn't clear to me in the article that this was a preperation, but found it in other pages. Thanks! - chrizbo@hotmail.com

[edit] "Betel leaf has a fresh, peppery taste, but, depending on the variety of areca from which it comes, it can be very bitter."

Betel leaves do not come from any variety of Areca, should this be depending upon the variety of Areca with which it is chewed?

AnonyGnome 02:02, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Structure

"According to the botanical classification, the betelnut tree belongs to the same family as oil palm and talipot palm, the Arecaceae; however, their outer appearances are quite different"

Hmmm, if the plants you mention belonged to the same genus maybe the differences would be notable, we're not talking Genus here but Family.

One may as well express surprise at the differences between a common daisy (Bellis perennis) and an annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus) as both belong to the family Asteraceae or Erythronium and Cardiocrinum both belonging to Liliaceae --AnonyGnome 02:35, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cleanup

This page is a mess - redundant, poor grammar, errors of fact. I don't know enough about the subject to fix it, so I'm going to mark it for cleanup. --DrGaellon 09:05, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Chink?

According to the entry on this word here and the following discussion, isn't this an ethnic slur? More to the point, (and I'm not easily offended), if I were an asian individual, I might be offended by finding such things in here, considering these articles should really read like an encyclopedia... Just my 2 cents...


stimulant or sedative?'

[edit] Chewing

The article needs more information on exactly how it is chewed. Is it ground into a pulp over the course of 10-20 minutes and spit out? Is it chewed and gradually dissolved? Or is it chewed and swallowed? -Rolypolyman 04:10, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I think it is chewed then dissolved. That was according to "Last Man Standing", when Jason got addicted to this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by TimHowardII (talk • contribs) 20:04, 10 January 2008 (UTC)