Piper betle

Botanical classification
Kingdom : Plantae
Family : piperacea
Genus : Piper
Species : P. betle
Scientific Name : Piper betle

Vernacular names

The betel leaf is known as Paan in Assamese/Urdu/Hindi/Odia/Bengali and Taambuul and Nagavalli in Sanskrit. Some of the names in the regions in which it is consumed are: Vetrilai Tamil,Tamalapaku Telugu, Vidyache pan Marathi, veeleyada yele Kannada, Vettila Malayalam, Plū Mon, Malus Tetum, Maluu Khmer, Plue Thai, Malus Tetum, Bulath Sinhalese, Malu Tokodede, Bileiy Divehi, bulung samat Kapampangan

Plant part used
Leaves .


General Information :

It is generally found in hot and moist climatic condition. In India it is found in Bihar, Bengal, Orrisa, south India and Karnataka. It is also seen in Sri Lanka.
The Betel (Piper betle) is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties.
The betel plant is an evergreen and perennial creeper, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkin. The Betel plant originated from South and South East Asia (India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka).

There are various types of leaves, the most popular being : Calcutta, Banarasi, Magahi, etc. In Bangladesh Dinajpur, Rangpur, Chittagong, Faridpur, Jessore, Narayanganj, Barisal and Sylhet are the areas producing the most betel. The harvested leaves are used both for domestic consumption and for export to Middle East, to European countries, USA, UK, Pakistan, and Myanmar. Paan is one of the major economic sources of rural Bangladesh. The best Betel leaf is the "Magadhi" variety (literally from the Magadha region) grown near Patna in Bihar, India. In Kerala, the famous variety of betel leaf is from Venmony near Chengannur and it is called "Venmony Vettila". Betel leaf cultivated in Tirur in Kerala, Hinjilicut in Odisha are of fine quality. Betel leaves exported from Tirur are famous in Pakistan as "Tirur Pan".

Chemical Constituents

Leaves contain protein 3.1 %, carbohydrate 6.9 %, minerals 2.3 %, and tannins 2 %. It contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine and potassium is also present. Vitamin B, vitamin c and vitamin A. leaves contains bitter compounds that are about 0.7 to 2.6 %. It also contains an aromatic compound and stable oils like phenol and terpene. Besides this it contains eugenol, chavibetol and hydroxychavicol.

Pharmacology

It is vata and kapha suppressant. It is an effective anti wormal agent because of its pungent taste. It is an excellent anti infectious agent again because of its pungent taste. It helps in normalizing the digestive tract hence is very effective in maintaining the digestive system because of its light properties. It provides strength to the heart and tones up the cardiovascular system. It also helps in expelling out the mucus form the respiratory tract because of its hot potency. It is also a good aphrodisiac agent.

Uses

1. Paste-it is used for gargles on the throat and diphtheria. It is also used to apply on the throat related problems, breast inflammation, back pain etc. it is also used to apply on the penis in case of erectile dysfunction.
1. Powder –it is used in mouth disorders, indigestion and reduced peristaltic movements. It is also helpful in throat related problems and respiratory problems. It also provides strength to the body and loss strengthens the cardiovascular system. It works as an aphrodisiac agent and help in maintaining body temperature.

Others are
1. Throat related problems
2. Diphtheria
3. Lymphadenopathy
4. Back pain
5. Impotency
6. Erectile dysfunction
7. Indigestion
8. Loss of appetite
9. Constipation
10. Heart related problems
11. Rhinitis
12. Asthma
13. Cough
14. Fever
15. General body weakness