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Areca nut
Areca catechu
También llamadaBetel nut · Supari (Hindi/Urdu) · Bing lang (Chinese) · Pinang (Indonesian/Malay) · Buai (Tok Pisin) · Moma (northern Philippines)
The seed of a tropical palm, chewed with betel leaf and lime by roughly a tenth of the world's people, which makes it the fourth most used psychoactive substance after nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. It has a long history as a digestive and a worm medicine in Chinese and South Asian practice. It is also a proven human carcinogen and is addictive.
Para qué se usa
- Lombrices intestinalesTradicional
Used against intestinal parasites in traditional Chinese and South Asian medicine. Its alkaloid arecoline (as arecoline hydrobromide) was once widely used to treat tapeworm in dogs, but doses that worked caused vomiting and convulsions, and it is now essentially no longer used as a dewormer.3,4
- Indigestión y dispepsiaTradicional
Chinese medicine uses it to promote digestion in prescriptions such as Binglang Sixiao Wan and Muxiang Binglang Wan, and chewers say it helps digestion. There are no clinical trials supporting this, and chewing is linked to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.2,3,4
Seguridad
- Embarazo
- Contraindicada
- Lactancia
- Evitar
- Niños
- Not for children.
Interacciones con medicamentos
- anticholinergic drugs (e.g. procyclidine)GraveArecoline opposes the anticholinergic procyclidine; heavy users with schizophrenia may develop severe extrapyramidal symptoms.
- benzodiazepinesModeradaReported to make users resistant to benzodiazepines and more prone to seizures.
No usar si
- Pregnancy
- Oral submucous fibrosis, leukoplakia or other oral lesions
- Asthma
- Heart disease
Efectos secundarios
- Palpitations, raised blood pressure, flushing and sweating within minutes
- Dependence, with a withdrawal syndrome of insomnia, mood swings, irritability and anxiety
- Oral submucous fibrosis, leukoplakia and red-stained teeth
En las tradiciones curativas
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
Bing lang
Seed for promoting digestion and killing parasites, in formulas such as Binglang Sixiao Wan, Muxiang Binglang Wan and Yueju Baohe Wan.
- Southeast Asian (Jamu, Thai, Philippine…)
Pinang / Moma
Chewed as betel quid with Piper betle leaf and lime across Southeast Asia and Oceania for its stimulant effect; reported traditional uses of the nut include worms, fever, stomach pain and rheumatism. Burials at Duyong Cave on Palawan, about 2680 BCE, show the stained teeth of betel chewers.
- Ayurveda
Supari
Used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines; chewed in paan, which users regard as an aid to digestion.
Compuestos activos
- arecoline
- main alkaloid; partial agonist at muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors; causes the stimulant and parasympathetic effects and is linked to dependence and carcinogenicity
- arecaidine, guvacine, guvacoline
- other alkaloids (alkaloids total 0.15–0.67% of the nut); nitrosated in the mouth to areca-specific nitrosamines that damage DNA
- polyphenols and tannins
- 11–26% of the nut
Historia
Archaeological finds from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines suggest areca and betel leaf have been chewed together for at least 4,000 years. India now grows about 60% of the world's 2.3 million tonnes a year (2023). Arecoline hydrobromide was first widely used as a tapeworm treatment for dogs in Australia.
Fuentes
- 1.IARC Monographs vol. 100E: Personal Habits and Indoor Combustions (2012) – Betel quid and areca nut
- 2.Garg A, Chaturvedi P, Gupta PC. A review of the systemic adverse effects of areca nut or betel nut. Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2014
- 3.Gao W et al. Comprehensive insights into arecoline hydrobromide: pharmacology, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics. Med Sci Monit 2024
- 4.Perez L et al. An evolutionary perspective on the use of betel nut and its effects on health outcomes. Evol Med Public Health 2026
- 5.Senevirathna K et al. Carcinogenic effects of areca nut and its metabolites: a review of the experimental evidence. Clin Pract 2023
- 6.Wikipedia: Areca nut (names, archaeology, production, legal status)
Referencia, no receta. Nada de esto es consejo médico. Las hierbas pueden interactuar con medicamentos y ser peligrosas en el embarazo; informa a tu médico o farmacéutico de todo lo que tomes.