Betel Leaf

Betel (Piper betle) is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen vine with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. The word betel comes from the Malayalam and Tamil word vettila, by way of Portuguese.

The oil contains monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, phenylpropanoids and aldehydes. Its constituents depend strongly on botanical origin, age of the plant and harvesting time. The chemistry of betel leaf varies geographically and is mostly chavibetol dominant.

In oil from different places in India, phenylpropanoids such as acetyl eugenol, eugenol, chavicol and safrole were the major components. Oil from the Sagar Bangla cultivar contained chavicol, but oil from the Magahi cultivar did not. Eugenol has been reported at 40% of the oil, with carvacrol and chavicol together at up to 40%.

Safrole is a major component of Sri Lankan Piper betle. In oil from Sri Lanka, safrole was reported at 52.7%, eugenyl acetate at 5.8%, allylpyrocatecholdiacetate at 15.4% and eugenol at 6.4%. Hydroxychavicol, also known as 4-allyl-catechol, is a major catecholic component of betel leaves.

The betel leaf is cultivated mostly in South and Southeast Asia, from India to Papua New Guinea. The vine needs a compatible tree or a long pole for support. It requires well-drained fertile soil, and waterlogged, saline and alkali soils are unsuitable. About a hundred varieties of betel plants are found across the world.

The leaves are most commonly used as a flavoring in betel quid, which is chewed with areca nut. The preparation combining areca nut, slaked lime and betel leaves is called a betel quid, or paan or pan in South Asia, and its exact composition varies geographically. Chewing results in permanent red stains on the teeth after prolonged use. Betel nut chewing is addictive and causes adverse health effects, mainly oral and esophageal cancers and cardiovascular disease. It is estimated that around 600 million people worldwide regularly use this preparation.

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