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Review

Areca Nut

No authors listed
In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012.
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Review

Areca Nut

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Excerpt

Areca nut, commonly known as betel nut, is the fruit of the Areca palm (Areca catechu), which is found in tropical areas of the Pacific, south Asia and eastern Africa. The major use of areca nut is as a recreational stimulant typically chewed wrapped in betel leaves (Piper betle), powdered with calcium hydroxide (slaked lime), and flavored with mint, clove or tobacco. Areca nut has also been used as an extract in traditional medicine as a cathartic or as treatment of intestinal parasites. Areca nut has not been linked to cases of clinically apparent acute liver injury, but epidemiologic studies from Asia have found a strong link between habitual betel nut chewing and oral cancer, and it may also increase the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

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References

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