Native to Malaysia, betel nut is mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, tropical Asia, East Africa and parts of Europe, and in China, it is mainly distributed in tropical areas such as Yunnan, Hainan and Taiwan.
Betel nut has been introduced and cultivated in China for more than 1500 years. After being introduced into China, betel nut gradually changed from a medicine to a pastime food, and was especially loved by people in the Lingnan and Hunan Xiangtan regions, and even became a must-have for hospitality and wedding etiquette.
Hainan Wanning has been cultivating betel nut since the Song Dynasty, with a long history of cultivation, and in 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs approved the implementation of the national agricultural geographical indication registration protection for "Wanning betel nut".
Although Hunan does not grow betel nuts, hunan people's love for betel nuts cannot be described as deep.
The tall trees are betel nuts, who climbs first who tastes first, the little sister lifts the basket and looks up at her eyes, looks down and thinks, he is strong, he is beautiful, who is stronger than him? Hurry up and call out to my lang!
This famous folk song "Picking Betel Nuts" is from the mouth of Hunan people.
Although betel nut is very popular in parts of China, it has been recognized as a drug in countries such as Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Australia, and has been banned from sale in many European and American countries.
The betel nut thing, like the folded ear root in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, people who like it really like it, and people who don't like it really can't accept it.
The first time you eat betel nut, just in the mouth, it is very hard to chew, like eating wood, chew two more times, dizziness, throat blockage, breathing is not smooth, like being locked throat, chew a few more times, the back is hot, the cheeks are hot. Almost every friend who eats betel nut for the first time says so, it's unpalatable!
But why do so many people like to eat betel nut?
According to statistics, at present, 60 million people on the mainland have become addicted to betel nut, and it seems that if they do not eat a betel nut every day, this day is not perfect. I believe that everyone has heard of "betel nut plus smoke, mana boundless, betel nut plus wine, immortal".
Betel nut contains betel nut base and betel nut sub-base, these alkaloids are quickly absorbed into the blood through the buccal mucosa, can stimulate muscarinic (M) receptors, produce parasympathetic excitatory effects, let people produce a feeling of euphoria, pleasure, relaxation and refreshment within 5 minutes, and become a way for some people to relieve fatigue, cope with stress, relax their mood, so people can't stop.
The top three addictive consumer goods in the world are: tobacco, alcohol and coffee, while betel nut ranks fourth.
Betel nut is also recognized by the World Health Organization as a Class I carcinogen.
As early as 2003, betel nut was identified by the World Health Organization as a first-class carcinogen, and in 2017, China also listed betel nuts as a class of carcinogens, which is why betel nuts will be banned in Europe and the United States and recognized as drugs by some countries.
Not only that.
Betel nut, is making 1 million "face cutters".
In order to ensure the taste of betel nut, a desiccant is used in betel nut, which is usually composed of a mixture of hydrated lime, betel nut leaves and cardamom, cinnamon and tobacco.
In the process of chewing, the hydrated lime is first dissolved in saliva, and the friction during chewing will cause the hydrated lime to grind through the mouth, forming hundreds of small wounds.
And the hard fibers of betel nut on the oral mucosa friction will cause local trauma, perennial chewing of betel nut will make these trauma difficult to heal, slowly will trigger inflammation, and eventually lead to oral mucosal fibrosis, and oral mucosal fibrosis is the precursor to oral cancer.
Once you develop oral cancer, surgery is the treatment of choice. Surgery can lead to the scary sequelae of having half of the face cut off.
Moreover, long-term chewing of betel nuts is also more serious for tooth wear, which will cause teeth to turn red and black, and even lose teeth early.
Why is the harm of betel nut so great, but China does not prohibit it?
In fact, on September 17, 2021, the State Administration of Radio and Television also issued a notice saying that from now on, it will stop using radio and television and online audio-visual programs to promote betel nut and its products.
However, betel nut as an economic product, in Taiwan, Hainan and other places, there are still people planting betel nut in large quantities, which will also drive the economic development of one side, solve the employment problem in some areas, and even speed up the pace of poverty alleviation, just like cigarettes, although they all know that the harm is very great, but they will not be banned.
Taiwan Betel Nut Prevention Day Propaganda Newspaper
Secondly, betel nut has high medicinal value, it can be used to treat food accumulation or sputum and saliva vomiting, spleen and stomach deficiency, abdominal distension and pain, air congestion and other similar gastrointestinal disorders, indigestion, chronic colitis and so on.
For the sake of their own health, I hope that everyone can quit it.
Cherish yourself and stay away from betel nuts.