50 Areca Nut
helps repel some types of mosquito, effectively enough that researchers say
the practice can reduce spread of disease carried by mosquitoes.
Drawbacks.Overindulgence can produce hallucinations and delusions, but
those effects are uncommon. Based on chemical properties, theoretical reason
exists for expecting areca nut to promote diabetes; animal experiments ex-
ploring that hypothesis have been suggestive but not conclusive. Chewing
areca nut produces large amounts of blood-red saliva, which over the years
can turn teeth brown or black. The physical action of continual chewing day
after day appears to promote breakage of tooth roots, while ever-present
draining of saliva across corners of the mouth can crack that skin. Areca nut
harms the antimicrobial ability of white blood cells, thereby promoting gum
disease, but saliva of chewers apparently inhibits bacterial growth. Areca nut
inhibits the body’s access to vitamin B 1 and reduces metabolism of carbohy-
drates, a situation that may produce an exhausting disease called beriberi.
The arecoline drug in areca nut can cause asthma. Some researchers spec-
ulate that areca nut chewing helps explain why Asians are the predominant
ethnic group hospitalized for asthma in Great Britain. Areca nut is known to
reduce the healing qualities of asthma medications. Heartbeat abnormalities
serious enough to hospitalize people have followed their chewing of areca
nut, but a cause-effect relationship has not been established even though are-
coline is known to cause cardiac crisis in dogs.
Because of chemical transformations caused by heat, using roasted nut in-
stead of unroasted may reduce short-term adverse effects.
Pan masala is a product including areca nut and other substances. Pan mas-
ala interferes with liver activity in rats.
Abuse factors.Some researchers have concluded that areca nut is as addic-
tive as tobacco cigarettes. Unquestionably some users feel a strong continual
need for the product; one person spoke of arising in the middle of the night
to dose herself. Mild withdrawal symptoms are common but can become
strong enough that persons seek medical aid. Withdrawal symptoms can in-
clude fatigue, nervousness, depression, trouble with memory and concentra-
tion, and paranoia. Compared to nonchewers, generally areca nut chewers are
more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol—although researchers
studying schizophrenics find that, compared to nonchewers, schizophrenic
areca nut chewers are less likely to use recreational substances causing more
damage to themselves than areca nut does.
Drug interactions.Areca nut is believed to interact with psychiatric medi-
cines that can produce tremors and spasms reminiscent of Parkinson’s disease,
worsening such adverse effects of the medicines. People using a preparation
of areca nut and pumpkin seed have experienced dizziness and stomach upset.
Animal experiments have identified a chemical in areca nut as an antidepres-
sant operating as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), and various drugs
described in this book react badly if used simultaneously with an MAOI.
Cancer.The nut is rich in tannins, chemicals that inhibit utilization of dietary
protein and that promote cancer. An experiment injecting an areca nut extract
into rats for almost a year and a half gave tumors to every rat. Various other
animal experiments also indicate a danger of cancer from using areca nut, but