Can betel nuts be eaten raw?

Betel nut can be eaten raw, and chewing betel nut is a hobby of Li, Zhuang and other ethnic women. When chewing, wrap it with "retaining leaves" with a small amount of mortar and put it into the mouth to slowly chew until the mouth becomes red and the lips turn red.

I. the harm of betel nut

1. Bad for the teeth themselves: long-term betel nut chewing will cause serious tooth wear, resulting in red and black teeth, and even tooth loss ahead of time.

two。 Bad for periodontitis: betel nut juice mixed with lime is easy to form dental calculi, which not only affects beauty, but also affects periodontal health. Betel nut fiber is thick and hard and may pierce the gums or clog the teeth, resulting in gingival compression and inflammation.

3. Not good for oral mucosa: mild may cause mucosal lesions, severe may evolve into oral cancer.

4. Bad for the temporomandibular joint: long-term mastication will increase the weight-bearing of the temporomandibular joint, causing joint ringing, pain and other symptoms. In severe cases, it can also lead to articular disc perforation.

5. Effect on digestive system: some components of betel nut can damage taste nerve and saliva secretion and affect digestive function. In addition, betel nut residue also stimulates the gastric wall, which can seriously lead to inflammation and even perforation of the gastric mucosa.

Second, the value of betel nut

1. Betel nut contains a variety of nutrients and beneficial substances needed by the human body. the main components of betel nut are 31.1% phenols, 18.7% polysaccharides, 14.0% fat, 10.8% crude fiber, 9.9% moisture, 3.0% ash and 0.5% alkaloids.

two。 Nut has the effect of "killing insects, breaking accumulation, reducing qi stagnation, hydration and dampness". It has been used to treat parasitic infections such as tapeworm, hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, roundworms, ginger worms and so on. Simo Tang, which is composed of betel nut and black medicine, ginseng and incense, is mainly used to treat "seven emotions, shortness of breath, obstruction of food". There is a folk tradition of taking Simo soup a week after the baby is born, which is said to be beneficial to the child's stomach and intestines and will not cause diarrhea in the future.

3. Betel nut has high economic value, about 1500-2000 plants can be planted per hectare. The yield of Chinese betel nut varieties is high, the yield per plant can reach about 30kg, and the economic value is high. People in Hainan, Taiwan, Hunan and other places in China have had the habit of consuming betel nuts since ancient times, which is the main chewing food. The processing output value alone reached 3.5 billion yuan, providing 200000 jobs. the market potential is great, with the injection of science and technology, the variety of deep-processed products is rich, the consumer market is gradually expanding, and the market prospect is better.