Betel Leaves Benefits and Side Effects

Betel Leaves Synonyms

It is also popular as Piper betle Linn. / Folium Piperis betlis (Scientific Binomial Name), Betel pepper / Buyo Leaves Ikmo Leaves / Betelvine (Common English), Taambula, Naagvallari, Naagini, Taambulvalli, Saptashiraa, Bhujangalataa (Ayurvedic), Paan (Unani), Pan ka Patta or gillauri or Beeda (Hindi / Urdu), Vetrilai Nagavalli or Kammaaruvetritai / Vethalai (Tamil), Nagarvel (Marathi), Tambool (Sanskrit), (Bengali), Killi and Tambulum / Tamalapaku (Telugu), Veelya or Taamboola or Yele Adike (Kannada), Vetrrilai or Thambulam (Malayalam), JuJiang Ye, Qing Lou Ye (Mandarin Chinese), Geui Jeung Yip (Cantonese). Betel leaves has numerous health benefits.

History of Betel Leaf Quid

Throughout India, it is customary to offer a paan leaf quid (beeda) at the end of the meal as a breath freshener and an aid to digestion. The paan leaf is filled with a mixture of bitter, sweet, and sour flavors, such as: kattha, chuna (lime), betel nut, coconut, cardamom, aniseed, sugar balls, and melon seeds. Then secure the leaf with a clove. Apart for eating these leaves are also used for dyeing purpose. Gambir is prepared by boiling the leaves and evaporating the decoction until it acquires the consistence of clay. This gambir is useful for tanning leather, also by dyers and curers, forming an article of export.

Health Benefits

Betel leaves chewed with certain fruits and cardamom aid in clarity and keep the mouth fresh. “Chavicol” present in betel leaf give spicy taste to the leaf and helps in expelling worms. Natural oil present in the leaf helps to improve appetite and also helps fighting tooth decay. Here are few popular betel leaves health benefits.

1. For Baby Colic: Most of the babies cry during evening time due to stomach bloating. For this betel leaf is very useful. Firstly take a fresh leaf on the soft side of leaf, apply few drops of castor oil. spread it evenly. Then keep it on baby’s stomach. On top of this leaf try holding a warm cloth gently. This is helpful in expelling the gas and makes baby feel comfortable.
2. Digestion Aid: Eating fresh betel leaf quid after heavy meal is helpful digestion. It helps to increase saliva secretion which is helpful for digestion.
3. Calcium Supplement: Betel leaf and lime is perfect combination to get enough amount of calcium for body. Early morning, at empty stomach, eat one betel leaf with chuna (lime) and eat. Repeat for 5 days. But be careful apply very little chuna on paan as direct contact of lime and tongue can hurt the tongue. This is very helpful in case of joint pains.
4. For Cough and Cold: Simply eating 2-3 plain tender leaves can help in cold. Try eating 1 plain leaf with few ajwain seeds and drink warm water after it. This will help to release the cough. In case of cough and cold, simply boil 15 leaves of betel in a glass of water and sip after intervals for better results.
5. Healing: Take ripe custard apple fruit. Make a paste with betel leaves and then apply to tumor to hasten suppuration. In case of headache apply paste of nagarvel leaves on forehead. For minor burns apply paste of betel leaf.
6. Sore Throat: Betel leaves have proved beneficial in the treatment of sore throat. Apply leaves locally for relief. Mix the fruit of the betel tree with honey and take it to relieve irritating throat cough.
7. Skin Care – Carbuncles: Piper betle remedy is very effective for carbuncles. Take one betel leaf slowly heat on flame to make it smooth. Put some castor seed oil on it and wrap it around the boil. After 2-3 hours take out first leaf and apply second leaf in a same way. It will start working within few hours.
8. As a general tonic: Wrap 4 to 5 stigmas of saffron in a tender leaf of Piper betle. Then chew the leaf. Repeat this every day throughout the winter.
9. Hair Growth: Betel leaf, hibiscus leaves and curry leaves makes very useful oil to promote hair regrowth. Just boil these leaves in coconut oil and strain the oil. Use these oil once a week on scalp, keep it for 12 hours and wash.
10. Eyes: Putting 2-3 drops of paan leaf juice extract helps to improve eye sight. This is also the best remedy for night blindness.

Betel Leaves Side Effects

Apart from health benefits, betel leaves also has few side effects. Habitual consumption of paan quid containing tobacco shows a strong cytotoxic potential. The consumption of pan, bettle nut, tobacco and slaked lime has link with lung and throat cancers. Chewing pan and tobacco and smoking are other causes of bad breath.