Biomaterial Database

Areca nut: a review. 1976

K N Arjungi

Areca cattechu Linn is commonly known as areca nut or betel nut. It is a very widely cultivated plant in eastern countries like India, Bangladesh, Ceylon, Malaya, the Philippines and Japan. The importance of this nut is due to its use for chewing purposes. It had an important place as a pharmaceutical in Ayurveda--the ancient Indian system of medicine--also in the Chinese medicinal practices. The pharmaceutical importance of areca nut is due to the presence of an alkaloid, arecoline. Synthetic arecoline hydrobromide is also shown to possess numerous pharmacological properties. Chewing of "betel quid" or areca nut is a typical oriental habit. Betel quid comprises betel leaf, areca nut, catechu, lime and sometimes also tobacco. It is shown that there exists a correlationship between betel quid or areca nut chewing habit and oral cancer. A number of investigators have been able to produce cellular changes such as leukoplakia by application of betel quid or areca nut extract to the buccal mucosa of different animal.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007202	Indicators and Reagents	Substances used for the detection, identification, analysis, etc. of chemical, biological, or pathologic processes or conditions. Indicators are substances that change in physical appearance, e.g., color, at or approaching the endpoint of a chemical titration, e.g., on the passage between acidity and alkalinity. Reagents are substances used for the detection or determination of another substance by chemical or microscopical means, especially analysis. Types of reagents are precipitants, solvents, oxidizers, reducers, fluxes, and colorimetric reagents. (From Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed, p301, p499)	Indicator,Reagent,Reagents,Indicators,Reagents and Indicators
D008722	Methods	A series of steps taken in order to conduct research.	Techniques,Methodological Studies,Methodological Study,Procedures,Studies, Methodological,Study, Methodological,Method,Procedure,Technique
D009062	Mouth Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the MOUTH.	Cancer of Mouth,Mouth Cancer,Oral Cancer,Oral Neoplasms,Cancer of the Mouth,Neoplasms, Mouth,Neoplasms, Oral,Cancer, Mouth,Cancer, Oral,Cancers, Mouth,Cancers, Oral,Mouth Cancers,Mouth Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Mouth,Neoplasm, Oral,Oral Cancers,Oral Neoplasm
D010946	Plants, Medicinal	Plants whose roots, leaves, seeds, bark, or other constituent parts possess therapeutic, tonic, purgative, curative or other pharmacologic attributes, when administered to man or animals.	Herbs, Medicinal,Medicinal Herbs,Healing Plants,Medicinal Plants,Pharmaceutical Plants,Healing Plant,Herb, Medicinal,Medicinal Herb,Medicinal Plant,Pharmaceutical Plant,Plant, Healing,Plant, Medicinal,Plant, Pharmaceutical,Plants, Healing,Plants, Pharmaceutical
D002471	Cell Transformation, Neoplastic	Cell changes manifested by escape from control mechanisms, increased growth potential, alterations in the cell surface, karyotypic abnormalities, morphological and biochemical deviations from the norm, and other attributes conferring the ability to invade, metastasize, and kill.	Neoplastic Transformation, Cell,Neoplastic Cell Transformation,Transformation, Neoplastic Cell,Tumorigenic Transformation,Cell Neoplastic Transformation,Cell Neoplastic Transformations,Cell Transformations, Neoplastic,Neoplastic Cell Transformations,Neoplastic Transformations, Cell,Transformation, Cell Neoplastic,Transformation, Tumorigenic,Transformations, Cell Neoplastic,Transformations, Neoplastic Cell,Transformations, Tumorigenic,Tumorigenic Transformations
D006184	Habits	Acquired or learned responses which are regularly manifested.	Habit Disturbances,Habit,Habit Disturbance
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000470	Alkaloids	Organic nitrogenous bases. Many alkaloids of medical importance occur in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, and some have been synthesized. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Alkaloid,Plant Alkaloid,Plant Alkaloids,Alkaloid, Plant,Alkaloids, Plant
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001114	Areca	A plant genus of the family ARECACEAE. Members contain ARECOLINE and CATECHIN. The leaves and nuts have been used as masticatories, stimulants, and astringents in traditional medicine. The common name of betel is also used for PIPER BETLE. The common name of catechu is sometimes used for ACACIA CATECHU.	Betel Nut,Areca catechu,Areca catechus,Arecas,Betel Nuts,Nut, Betel,Nuts, Betel,catechus, Areca