Botanically, the arecanut, also known as betel nut or supari, is the fruit (which may refer to the nut, seed, or endosperm) of the tropical palm Areca catechu L. (belonging to the Family Arecaceae or Palmae).
The practice of chewing arecanut has deep historical roots, tracing back thousands of years.
In India, references to areca date back to as early as 1300 BC, as mentioned by Sisu Mayana in Anjana Chaitra.
In other nations, such as Vietnam, arecanut usage has been observed even in the Bronze Age, indicated by traces found in fossilized human teeth.
When assessing the results, other components or the combined effects of various ingredients on human health were not taken into account.
Cancers are typically multifaceted in their causes, involving numerous environmental influences and diverse dietary practices.
To avoid confusion in scientific writing, it is important to specifically refer to the nut of A. catechu as arecanut or betel nut.
In some regions, like Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, the betel quid usually lacks the leaf of P. betel, instead including the vine's inflorescence.
Therefore, the quality of the arecanut and the resulting chewable product must be examined before drawing any conclusions about the health impacts of arecanut or betel nut.
To support this point, there was a case of oral cancer in Papua New Guinea that was notably located precisely at the site where lime was applied.