Betel nut palms (pinang) originally grew wild in Southeast Asia, perhaps in the Philippines or Malaysia. They were brought to the Indian subcontinent by humans in prehistoric times.Pinang refers to the seed of Areca catechu, or Betel palm, which, like Cocos nucifera (or the Coconut palm), belongs to Arecaceae (the palm family) and is a kind of evergreen tree whose trunk can grow as tall as twenty meters. The word Pinang originated from Indonesian.
Some countries such as Taiwan also have the habit of chewing pinang.People in some areas of Indonesia like (Java, Sumatra, Nusa Tenggara) used to do this, but for the
Papuans, one can easily find people as young as five years old with its telltale red blotches around their mouths, a sign they have been chewing the nut. Chewing areca (known as
pinang in
Bahasa Indonesia) is an anytime-anywhere activity for Papuans who hold the nut in high regard. Known locally as
Tarang Habui, Papuans use areca nuts in traditional ceremonies and present them to guests as a sign of friendship and kinship. For the young areca nut chewing is part of the social language. Papuans chew areca nuts with betel fruit and chalk made from ground white shell. Before chewing, they peel off the betel nut skin using their teeth. They then chew the betel fruit which is dipped in white chalk. Afterwards, they spit out the distinctively bright red juice.
On the streets of Papua areca nut vendors are scattered all over the city. On sidewalks, in front of shops and in markets the nut is available. One packet of pinang, comprising two areca nuts, one betel fruit and chalk goes for Rp 1,000 .
The chewing of Betel Nuts causes mild stimulation and a feeling of well-being. The active compounds in betel nut act as a mild stimulant. The effects include increasedalertness, greater energy, reduced fatigue, talkativeness and excitability. Some users also report euphoric feelings. Powdered betel nut is used as a constituent in some tooth powders. Other medicinal uses include the removal of tapeworms and other intestinal parasites by swallowing a few teaspoons of powdered betel nut, or by taking tablets containing the extracted alkaloids
