Many people have the habit of eat areca. People who may not like it will find it unbearable to smell betel nut, but those who like it will especially like it, even become addicted. eat areca will make people feel excited. After work, eat areca can relieve fatigue and help digest food. In winter, eat areca can keep out the cold. But some people say that betel nut contains carcinogenic substances. Will taking betel nut cause cancer? What happens when you eat too much betel nut?

1, medicinal betel nut ≠ chewing betel nut

Medicinal betel nut is different from chewing betel nut. First, the raw materials and medicinal parts are different. "Medicinal betel nut" uses mature nuts. Second, the processing of different "chewing betel nuts" is soaked with lime, and auxiliary materials such as essence and spice are added, which is strong alkaline and irritating, increasing its toxicity and carcinogenicity; The "medicinal betel nut" has been processed, extracted and purified to reduce toxicity and has no chemical damage to oral mucosa. Third, chewing betel nut with different eating methods for a long time in the mouth has strong and lasting mechanical and chemical damage to oral mucosa, which can lead to oral cancer; "Medicinal Areca catechu" is swallowed and will not cause precancerous lesions of oral mucosa and oral cancer. Fourth, "chewing betel nut" with different use time for a long time is easy to stimulate oral mucosa, including chemical stimulation and strong alkali stimulation, and further deterioration is oral cancer; The course of treatment of Simo Decoction containing areca nut is 2-5 days, which will not cause accumulation poisoning, chronic damage and precancerous lesions. Fifth, there is no dosage limit for chewing betel nut with different dosage; "Medicinal Areca catechu" has a dose limit, and the dosage is small. China's Pharmacopoeia stipulates that the daily limit of areca nut is 3 ~10g, and the dosage is 30 ~ 60g when expelling tapeworms and ginger worms. The daily intake of betel nut in Simo Decoction is 2.25g, which is far below the safe limit. Sixth, there are no indications, contraindications and other restrictions on "chewing betel nut" with different ranges, and it can be eaten by men, women and children, healthy people and patients; However, "medicinal betel nut" has restrictions such as indications and contraindications.

2. There is no evidence that medicinal betel nut causes cancer.

Areca catechu has a long history of being used as medicine, and it is the first of the four southern medicines in China (the four southern medicines are the names of traditional authentic medicinal materials in China, referring to four traditional Chinese medicines, namely Areca catechu, Alpinia oxyphylla, Amomum villosum and Morinda officinalis, produced in the south of the Yangtze River in China). Before taking medicine, betel nut should be processed, processed or purified, even if it is "toxic", its toxicity is greatly reduced. In clinic, betel nut, a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used. No matter it is used as decoction or powder, its dosage is not large. In addition, there are other drugs in the formula, and the side effects of betel nut are very small and safe. At present, there is no convincing scientific basis for the theory that betel nut contains carcinogens. Betel nut chewing is carcinogenic, but "Betel nut itself is not a direct carcinogen", which is the knowledge of most people. The author searched the relevant literature systematically, and found no reports of carcinogenicity or toxicity of betel nut. In addition, common Chinese patent medicines containing betel nut, such as Muxiang Betel nut Pill, Kaiwei hawthorn pill Pill, Muxiang Shunqi Pill, and Yijinjin, have not been reported in clinical and experimental studies. Therefore, betel nut can be safely used for medicine, and there is no need to "talk about cancer discoloration".

3. What happens when you eat too much betel nut?

(1) Areca nut contains carcinogenic alkaloids, which can easily lead to oral cancer if eaten too much. At present, many people suffer from oral cancer because of Areca nut.

(2) Long-term chewing of betel nut will make people's teeth black. After chewing betel nut, the residue will be spit on the ground, and it will be red and stained like blood, which will affect public health.

(3) Dental calculus is formed when calcareous and betel nut juice are filled in the mouth, and the tooth is consumed by long-term hard chewing, and even the teeth are cracked or broken.

Oral submucosal fibrosis and leukoplakia caused by chewing betel nut, that is, the prophase lesions of oral cancer, are characterized by difficulty in opening mouth, pain, numbness, whitening of oral mucosa and ulcer.

(4) Eating too much areca nut has a great influence on the digestive system. This is because areca nut juice scale pollutes the black lips, teeth and cheeks, which affects the appearance, damages the taste nerve and saliva secretion, hinders the digestive function, and the areca nut residue stimulates the stomach wall, leading to inflammation and even perforation of the gastric mucosa, affecting nutrient absorption and causing malnutrition. In particular, children eating betel nut can easily lead to malnutrition.

(5) Eating too much betel nut is harmful to human body. If pregnant women eat too much, it may lead to miscarriage.