Betel Nut
Is Betel Nut Chewing All That Bad?
Posted on February 15, 2007by rodney itaki
I am doing some studies into larvicide properties of oils derived from plants that can be used to control mosquitoes and consequently malaria and was doing a literature search. And I came across an article regarding the use of essential oil extracted from betel leaf (daga leaf).
The study was done to find out if oil from betel leaf can treat cutaneous or wound infection caused by Chrysomya megacephala(oriental latrine fly). This fly species is also found in PNG. The experiments were set up to treat larvae of the fly with oil extracted from daga leaf. The result was the oil from daga leaf was toxic to oriental latrine fly larvae. Concentrations of 4-3% of daga leaf oil killed all the larvae exposed (100%) after exposure to 3 1/2 hours. The researchers concluded that oil from daga leaf has medicinal properties which can be further developed. The study was done in Sri Lanka.
After reading this I just thought of betel nut chewing in PNG. Betel nut chewing has been associated with mouth cancer. And more recently studied done at the Sir Buri Kidu Heath Institute has shown that betel nut chewing can cause a heart attack in susceptible individuals. I did part of the study. We showed that betel nut chewing reduces the blood supply to the heart which may precipate irregular heart beats which can cause a heart attack or can cause a sudden spasm of the heart blood vessels causing an heart attack. And on top of that betel nut chewing increases the heart rate which can complicate this process. A 70% narrowing of the lumen of the heart blood vessel is enough to cause chest pain! I think this explains why recently there have been many people in PNG collapsing and dying while chewing betel nut.
Betel nut chewing can also precipitate an acute attack of asthma in asthma patients. This is due to the action of betel nut on the smooth muscle of the bronchi (windpipe) probably by the same mechanism
Posted on February 15, 2007by rodney itaki
I am doing some studies into larvicide properties of oils derived from plants that can be used to control mosquitoes and consequently malaria and was doing a literature search. And I came across an article regarding the use of essential oil extracted from betel leaf (daga leaf).
The study was done to find out if oil from betel leaf can treat cutaneous or wound infection caused by Chrysomya megacephala(oriental latrine fly). This fly species is also found in PNG. The experiments were set up to treat larvae of the fly with oil extracted from daga leaf. The result was the oil from daga leaf was toxic to oriental latrine fly larvae. Concentrations of 4-3% of daga leaf oil killed all the larvae exposed (100%) after exposure to 3 1/2 hours. The researchers concluded that oil from daga leaf has medicinal properties which can be further developed. The study was done in Sri Lanka.
After reading this I just thought of betel nut chewing in PNG. Betel nut chewing has been associated with mouth cancer. And more recently studied done at the Sir Buri Kidu Heath Institute has shown that betel nut chewing can cause a heart attack in susceptible individuals. I did part of the study. We showed that betel nut chewing reduces the blood supply to the heart which may precipate irregular heart beats which can cause a heart attack or can cause a sudden spasm of the heart blood vessels causing an heart attack. And on top of that betel nut chewing increases the heart rate which can complicate this process. A 70% narrowing of the lumen of the heart blood vessel is enough to cause chest pain! I think this explains why recently there have been many people in PNG collapsing and dying while chewing betel nut.
Betel nut chewing can also precipitate an acute attack of asthma in asthma patients. This is due to the action of betel nut on the smooth muscle of the bronchi (windpipe) probably by the same mechanism