MEDICINAL USES: In Ayurvedic medicine betel nut is used as a diuretic, digestive, anthelmintic, astringent, and cardiotonic. The nuts are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat diarrhoea, low blood pressure, slow heart rate, and other intestinal troubles. The leaves of the plant are consumed in Cambodia as a tea to treat lumbago and bronchitis. They use the root for liver disease and the fruit along with opium for the treatment of intestinal troubles. A. catechu is used as an abortifacient in Malaysia, and the young shoots and flowers are eaten as food (Voogelbreinder 2009, 87).
The betel nut can cause black stained teeth and gums to those who chew it regularly, although it is excellent for maintaining a healthy digestive tract, especially in disease-ridden areas. However, it has been proposed that betel nut is a carcinogen, though this may be due to the common modern addition of tobacco products. Betel nut can also cause bronchoconstriction, and so should be avoided by asthmatics (Voogelbreinder 2009, 87).