Areca nut
Areca catechu
nuts & seeds
⚠️ Psychoactive
The app never suggests a psychoactive plant, and no milestone asks you to take one.
Do not consume it. It is addictive, through arecoline, and the IARC classifies it as carcinogenic to humans: cancers of the mouth and esophagus, cardiovascular disease. During pregnancy, it raises the risk of stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight.
If you feel unwell after taking it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.
Seed of a palm, chewed wrapped in a betel leaf from India to Melanesia: the red residue is spat out.
- Origin
- The Philippines, then all of tropical Asia and the Pacific, carried by Austronesian migrations
- Season (United States)
- all year round
- Preparation
- Not to be consumed: chewed, even without tobacco, it raises the risk of head, neck and esophageal cancers.
- Did you know?
- In 2017, the harm caused by areca nut worldwide was called a “neglected global public health emergency”.