NAME ------------------ Areca Catechu
APPEARANCE----------- lime sized, thick husk, green when unripe, yellowish orange when ripe.
TREE------------------- Palm, upto 100ft high, long leaves, inflorescence type flower.
USE-------------------- Eatens in the form of 'paan', Supari, Gutka( mixed with tobacco) etc.,
AVAILABILTY------------ Round the year
HEALTH ASPECTS:
This surprise nut, eaten extensively all over the South Asia,finds a place in the holy combination of bettel leaf, nut and lime. This combination (Paan) is recommended in the ancient Ayurvedic books to be eaten after each meal.This is a good source of calcium and is believed to have digestive, mouth cleansing and antioxidant properties.
However, since tobacco entered as the forth major ingredient of the combination , it has been rightly ridiculed as being casual of oral cancer, public hygiene etc.,
We believe that the combination that has found a role to play in every Indian holy ceremony has to be researched and its used in health maintenance popularised.
