National Geographic June/2006

我最近看到有關台灣的文章都會特別注意，

雖然只是一篇小文章，

但是卻是健康的引頭，也不是什麼值得驕傲的事，

是關於檳榔影響健康的文，

難道我們沒有什麼好事嗎？



National Geographic June/2006



Pic: A vendor sells her wares on a Taiwan through fare.

Pic: Chewing the seed of the areca palm provides a burst of energy and carcinogens.



Betel Nut Menace. Young women stationed along Taiwan’s roads sell a dangerous treat

that’s on the rise, the seeds of the areca palm. Customers spread the seeds with slaked lime,

wrap them in leaves from the betel pepper plant-which gives the concoction its nickname,

betel nut-pop them in their mouths, and chew. The treats are addictive. Like a wad of tobacco,

the quid gives chewers a buzz, quiets hunger, and fights fatigue. It’s also messy: It stimulates

the salivary glands and stains the resulting flood of spit bright red.



Traditionally offered as a sign of hospitality, betel nuts come in Thailand and Cambodia,

for instance, add cloves and cinnamon. In parts of India, cardamom, jellied fruits, or grated

coconut and sugar may be folded in. Often tobacco adds extra kick.



New studies show that heavy use of betel nuts leads to mouth cancer and contributes to

heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and cirrhosis. For many years, the tobacco caught the blame.

Now it’s clear the areca seeds too are carcinogenic, putting at risk the several hundred million

chewers across southern Asia, the South Pacific, and immigrant communities around the world.

Officials in some countries are trying to curb betel nut use, but modern marketing is working against

them. Flavored quids now come prepackaged in bright wrappers to attract new customers-including

children- A.R. Williams