Chapter 25
BETEL LEAF
An
old lady sitting in the portico of her house chewing ‘paan’ or betel leaf is a
common sight in the villages. These old ladies have a constant supply of betel
leaves kept in the folds of their sari. Once in a while they keep spitting the
red fluid. If you take a closer look at their teeth, you feel disgusted at the
ugly sight. The regular chewing of this betel leaf has destroyed the beautiful
teeth which looked like pearls when the lady was young. Spitting out the red
liquid creates a terrible stain on the ground making the place dirty. This red
colour is created when the ingredients folded in the leaf are chewed.
And
yet this betel leaf is called ‘Green gold of India’ for it is capable of
earning a lot of money from the foreign countries. This leaf can be exported in
a large scale due to its immense nutritious value and has anti-carcinogens
which are useful in manufacture of blood cancer drugs. But this leaf has been
ignored and hence it has another name ‘Neglected green gold of India’.
In
India the chewing of paan (betel leaf with areca nut) was common even in an age
as far back as 2600 BC.
Paan
is prepared by removing the veins of the betel leaf and applying a paste of
khatta and lime. Pieces of areca nut, cardamom, saffron, coconut pieces/powder,
cloves, tobacco, dry fruits, etc according to the taste and folded into a
triangle or cylinder. Voracious paan eaters do not swallow it. They just chew
it and enjoy the flavours. Then they spit it out.
Paan
is often served after lunch in festivals since it is believed to help digestion
and remove bad breathe. It is also served to guests to show respect.
The
betel leaf is very nutritious and contains a lot of vitamins and minerals.
Eating six leaves with slaked lime is equal to drinking 300 ml of cow’s milk
for the vitamins and minerals it contains. The leaves also contain enzymes and
amino acids.
The
betel leaf is known to be very useful in the treatment of bad breathe, boils,
constipation, head ache, cuts and injuries, hysteria, itching and swelling of
gums. The root is knows for its female
contraceptive effects. The essential oil contained in the leaf has anti
bacterial, anti fungal qualities. Hence it can kill or inhibit the growth of
harmful bacteria which cause typhoid, cholera and tuberculosis.
Chewing
of betel leaf makes one happy, increases alertness, sweating, hot sensation and
energetic. But regular chewing makes the person addicted to it. If the person
tries to stop, withdrawal symptoms arise.
Betel
leaf is good for treatment of nerve problems, headache, respiratory disorders,
constipation, sore throat, inflammation, wounds and boils. Betel leaf oil is
applied on breasts to increase milk.
In
spite of all the nutritious benefits of consuming betel leaf, excessive
consumption can harm the teeth. This harm is because of the extra ingredients
used in preparing paan to make it tastier. Paan prepared using tobacco causes
dental caries, alveolaris, oral sepsis, palpitation, neurosis and even oral
cancer. The leaf itself contains carcinogen which can cause cancer.
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