Betel Nut Halves / Supari Halves / Vakkalu
The Areca Nuts or Betel Nut is not a true nut, but rather a drupe. Whole Betel Nut is commercially available in Dried, Cured, and Fresh forms. In the Fresh Whole Betel Nuts, the husk is green and the nut inside is so soft that it can easily be cut with a typical knife. In the ripe fruit, the husk becomes yellow or orange and, as it dries, the fruit inside hardens to a wood-like consistency. At that stage, the Whole Betel Nuts can only be sliced using a special scissors-like cutter.
Betel Nuts are chewed with betel leaf for their effects as a mild stimulant, causing a warming sensation in the body and slightly heightened alertness, although the effects vary from person to person. The effect of chewing betel leaf and Whole Betel Nuts together is relatively mild, and could be compared to drinking a cup of coffee.
The Betel Nuts contain the areca tannin and Gallic; a fixed oil gum, a little terpineol, lignin, various saline substances, and three main alkaloids including coline, arecaidine and guvacine that have vaso constricting properties.
- The betel leaf chewed along with the nut contains eugenol, another vasoconstrictor.¬â€
