What is Betel Nut?

Betel Nut is the dried seed of the areca palm, Areca catechu, a tropical palm in the palm family (Arecaceae) native to South and Southeast Asia. It is also widely known as areca nut. We carry it as a botanical specimen for cultural, ceremonial, and ethnographic study.

Safety note

The World Health Organization has classified betel nut as a Group 1 carcinogen, based on epidemiological evidence linking long-term chewing of "betel quid" with oral cancers. We offer the nut for its documented cultural and historical significance only, and we do not recommend regular consumption of it.

About the plant and its cultural history

The areca palm grows across tropical South and Southeast Asia. The nut has a long-documented cultural and traditional history across India, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and parts of East Africa, where it has historically been combined with betel leaf (Piper betle) and lime in a preparation known as "betel quid." That cultural history is why it appears throughout the ethnobotanical literature of the region.

Betel Nut: form & sizes

We supply whole dried Betel Nut by weight in 1 oz, 4 oz, and 8 oz sizes, sold as a botanical specimen for educational and ethnographic purposes. We make no health or therapeutic claims.

Storage

Store Betel Nut in an airtight container, away from heat, light, and humidity.

Safety

Betel nut (Areca catechu) is the subject of a US Food and Drug Administration import alert. Long-term chewing is associated in the published literature with oral submucous fibrosis and with cancers of the mouth and oesophagus, and the alkaloid arecoline it contains has reported cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects. Sold for educational and research purposes. Not for use if you are pregnant or nursing. 21+ only.

Betel Nut at a glance

Botanical name

Areca catechu

Family

Arecaceae (palm family)

Common names

Betel Nut, Areca Nut, Supari, Pinang

Native region

South and Southeast Asia

Plant part

Dried seed

Sold as

Botanical specimen (cultural / ethnographic use)

Sizes

1 oz to 8 oz