Areca is a plant. The nut is used to make medicine. Areca nut is chewed alone or in the form of quids, a mixture of tobacco, powdered or sliced areca nut, and slaked lime wrapped in the leaf of ‘betel’ vine (piper betel).

Benefits

• Chewing areca nut sweetens the breath
• Removes bad taste from the mouth
• Increase in heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, and body temperature
• Feelings of well-being and alertness
• Discolored teeth and gums
• Mouth ulcers and gum disease
• Increases risk having a low birth-weight infant
  Areca is used for the treatment of a mental disorder called schizophrenia and an eye disorder called glaucoma, as a mild stimulant, and as a digestive aid.
  Some people use areca as a recreational drug because it speeds up the central nervous system (CNS).
  In veterinary medicine