Health Benefits of Betel Leaf And Its Side Effects
Last Updated: Aug 10, 2020
Betel leaf, or Paan, is a pretty commonly used leaf in India. Though its primary purpose is to be used as a mouth freshener, many people also use it for the numerous health benefits that it provides. It is really good for people suffering from diabetes as it can regulate their glucose levels. Betel leaf lowers your cholesterol and protects your heart.
Betel leaf has strong anti-cancer and anti-mutagenic compounds in it and can lower the risk of developing cancer. It has anti-microbial properties that can protect you from minor bacterial and fungal infections. It can help heal wounds, especially burn wounds. Betel leaves are also known to combat depression and can put you in a light, happy mood.
Betel leaf is good for oral health as they not only fight bad breath but also help with protecting you from bacterial infections. It can prevent and control asthma. Betel leaf juice good for the gastric health system. It can also be used to prevent malaria.
What is Betel Leaf?
The betel leaf is an extremely common leaf. It is in the shape of a heart and is dark green in color. It comes from the Piperaceae family of plants and is used as a popular mouth freshener in India. Betel leaf is also called Paan.
Nutritional Value of Betel Leaf
Betel leaf is loaded with nutrients and is very good for you. It contains decent amounts of essential nutrients. Let check out nutrition facts of betel leaf per 100 grams, there is 1.3 micrograms of iodine, 1.1-4.6 micrograms of potassium, 1.9-2.9 micrograms of vitamin A, 13-0 micrograms of vitamin B-1, 1.9-30 micrograms of vitamin B-2, and 0.63-0.89 micrograms of nicotinic acid. These nutrients present in betal leaves are good for your heath.
Health Benefits of Betel Leaf
Betel leaf benefits for diabetes patients
Diabetes is an extremely common disease and though there are numerous anti-diabetic medications out there, it is best to avoid them as they often have side effects on the liver and kidneys. Herbal remedies, such as betel leaf cures diabetes. Betel leaf can help reduce the overall glucose levels in your blood, which is great for people who have Type 2 diabetes.
Moreover, people with diabetes often suffer from oxidative stress. This ends up depleting the antioxidant content in the body, which can lead to the buildup of free radicals in the system. Having betel leaf can help prevent this in diabetes and keep their immune system intact. Even betel leaf oil can be also used by diabetes patients.
Betel Leaf reduce cholesterol level
Having high cholesterol in your blood can increase your chances of getting a stroke. Betel leaves have eugenol in them due to which they aid in lowering your cholesterol levels. Moreover, eugenol also inhibits the amount of cholesterol that is generated in the liver and can help with reducing the amount of lipids absorbed by the intestine. This is very good for your body.
Betel leaf benefits cancer patients
Although betel nuts can increase the risk of tobacco, betel leaves have anti-cancer compounds in them. Betal leaves have phenolic compounds in them that can contain a range of properties such as anti-bacterial, anti-mutagenic, antioxidant, and anti-proliferative.
Betal leaves also have high amounts of phytochemicals, which can help fight oral and colon cancer. Betel leaves also help fight oxidative stress and eliminate free radicals. Both of these factors are important in preventing cancer.
Betal Leaves has anti-microbial properties
The essential oil that is naturally present in betel leaves has antibacterial properties, which can help fight infections that are caused by bacteria. Moreover, since betal leaves is filled with phenolic and phytochemicals, it can be very effecting against gram positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Betal leaves helps in healing wounds
Betel leaf extract has an extremely strong effect when it comes to healing wounds. This is because betel leaves are filled with antioxidants, which reduce the amount of oxidative stress your body is going through. When your body goes through high oxidative stress, it can delay the rate at which your wounds heal. Thus, betel leaves help with healing wounds. Furthermore, they are particularly effective against healing wounds that are related to burns.
Betel leaf benefits for asthma patients
While many people know that asthma is a problem that is related to breathing, not many people know that it is actually also an inflammation problem as well. As betel leaves have anti-inflammatory properties, they can help patients who have asthma. Asthma is usually triggered by histamine in the system. This is because histamine causes bronchoconstriction which is a major part of asthma. Betel leaves have anti-histamine properties in them, which helps prevent and control asthma. Betel oil can also be used for the same purposes.
Betal leaf helps in depression issues
Depression is a serious condition that affects many people around the world. Though there are various antidepressant drugs out there in the market, it is proven that herbal remedies can also cause a significant impact when it comes to treating and managing the disease.
One of these popular remedies is to chew betel leaf in depression issues. This is because they stimulate the activity in the central nervous system, and help produce feelings of light-heartedness, well-being, and even happiness.
Betel leaves also help produce aromatic phenolic compounds that end up stimulating the number of catecholamines in your system, which is directly linked with lowering depression. This can be a good herbal remedy for people who don’t want to get hooked onto medication.
Betal leaf improves oral health
Betel leaf is widely used as a mouth freshener in India so it comes as no surprise that it improves oral health. Betal leaf can help reduce the growth of bacteria in your mouth, preventing a wide range of oral infections and diseases. Betel leaf can also protect your oral cavity from dental caries by reducing the amount of acid that is produced by bacterial saliva.
Betel leaves for gastritis system
The phytochemicals that are present in betel leaves have antioxidant and anti-ulcer properties. Stomach ulcers can lead to the damaging of your stomach lining, decreased production of gastric mucus, and lots of oxidative stress. When you consume betel leaves, your ulcers are healed, the amount of gastric mucus that is produced by your body is increased and the oxidative stress goes down because of the antioxidants.
Betal leaves not only soothe your digestive system while the ulcers are being healed, but can also save you from a host of stomach related problems in the future that stem from ulcers being neglected.
Betal Leaf has Anti Parasitic Properties
Terpenes, which is a healthy compound that is present in betel leaves has strong anti-malaria properties. Also, the flavonoids that are present in betel leaves have strong anti-parasitic properties and they help fight against parasite related strains of malaria.
Betel leaves have been used for their anti-malarial properties since ancient times, and this practice started off in Malaysia. It can certainly protect you from the fatal dangers of malaria and can help you fight against this deadly disease.
Uses of Betel Leaf
Betel leaves are commonly used as mouth fresheners in India. They are used as a base to wrap up various components of paan, including tobacco, betel nut, sugar syrup, and a few other components.
Modern variations of this street favorite include chocolate syrup being poured in the center of the leaf along with all the traditional components. Paan has been used as a mouth freshener since ancient times and is more popular in some cities than in others. The leaf is rolled and wrapped up to create a conical shape and always ingested in one bite.
It takes a long time to chew the entire betal leaf but the flavors and textures of this mouth freshener make it an interesting process. Paan is also used as a flavoring agent in many candies, food, and drinks. It is also a popular flavor in hookahs. Paan flavored condoms are also a common sight in drug stores in India. Paan masala, a powdered mixture of paan flavor and tobacco, is also pretty common in India.
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Betel Leaf Side-Effects & Allergies
As is the case with most tobacco-related products, there is the risk of developing oral cancer if you eat paan too often. Consuming the betel leaf on its own, however, is not that harmful. If you have never been exposed to this leaf before, it makes sense to perform a patch test in order to see whether or not you are allergic to it. If you are generally susceptible to allergies, this is definitely a good idea. You should always consult with your doctor before adding anything new to your diet or lifestyle in case it does not suit you. Moreover, as is the case with a lot of tobacco-related products, chewing paan can be slightly addictive. But the addiction here is to the tobacco in it, and not the leaf itself.
Cultivation of Betel Leaf
Although betel trees can be found in many tropical regions, the use of the betel leaf originated in India. It is also used in a few Asian countries as well, such as Malaysia. Betel leaves are also used in ayurvedic medicine to cure a variety of problems, and this branch of medicine also originated in India.
References
- Toprani R, Patel D. Betel leaf: Revisiting the benefits of an ancient Indian herb. South Asian journal of cancer. 2013 Jul;2(3):140. [Cited 19 June 2019]. Available from:
- Betel- Encyclopaedia Britannica [Internet]. britannica.com. 2019 [Cited 19 June 2019]. Available from:
- Betel- Sciencedirect [Internet]. sciencedirect.com. 2014 [Cited 19 June 2019]. Available from:
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