The Story of the Betel Nut

In Taiwan, betel nuts have long been chewed by the working class as a stimulant and pick-me-up. But despite the current labor shortage the betel nut trade is proliferating more than ever, and a single betel nut has been known to change hands at the record price of a catty of eggs.

Dealers say that betel nut consumption has spread throughout society and is now appealing more to the younger age-group.

People cannot be blamed for worrying about this trend, since betel nuts are a favorite with the underworld.

According to Wu Lo-t'ien, famous biographer of anti-Japanese warrior Liao T'ien-ting, betel nuts had an important social function for the underworld figures. Negotiations were satisfactorily concluded by giving cigarettes and offering betel nuts in return. "When giving a money-packet to one's negotiator, one always said it was for 'buying betel nuts.'" Wu Lo-t'ien points out that Liao T'ien-ting also chewed betel nuts.

But betel nuts are by no means an underworld monopoly. According to the Ch'ing dynasty encyclopedia Ku-chin t'u-shu chi-ch'eng, betel nuts were prized by the nobility of northern China because they came all the way from the south of the country. If aristocratic hostesses neglected to provide this delicacy at a feast, their guests would grumble.

Betel nuts were also closely linked with the life of the ordinary people of Taiwan. At weddings, for example, it was obligatory for the bridegroom to offer the bride's family three types of gifts. One was candy to symbolize sweetness, and another was noodles as a sign of long continuance. The third was cigarettes and betel nuts, because the latter have many nuts on a single bunch, symbolizing many sons to carry on the family name.

People often wonder whether betel nuts are an indigenous Chinese snack. In fact they may well have been introduced to China during the southern campaigns of the Han emperor Wu-ti. Some say Taiwan's betel nuts were introduced by the Dutch in the seventeenth century, whereas Wu Lo-t'ien has found evidence that they were brought over by the early pioneers from Fukien.

"When Koxinga arrived in Taiwan all his men fell ill except for those in General Liu's camp." Wu Lo-t'ien points out that according to contemporary accounts they all chewed betel nut. But surely carcinogenic betel nuts cannot also cure sickness?

According to the encyclopedia Ku-chin t'u-shu chi-ch'eng, betel nut was eaten in former times in the same way as today, with betel pepper and lime.

Chinese medical dictionaries define betel nut as a non-toxic plant with pungent flavour and warm healing properties. It acts as a diuretic, relieves asthma, wards off miasmas and malaria, and kills parasites. The betel pepper keeps down 'adverse energy,' disperses phlegm and relieves pain from insect bites. Lime also disperses phlegm and blood clots. From a traditional medical viewpoint, these three things combined clearly compensated for the harmful climatic conditions experienced in Southern China.

No wonder the Sung poet Su Tung-p'o took up the popular habit of chewing betel nut when he was banished to Hainan Island. The Sung neo-Confucian philosopher Chu Hsi and the poet Huang T'ing-chien also chewed betel nut to ward off the effects of southern climes.

The medicinal effects of betel nut are borne out by modern pharmacological analysis. Chewing betel nut stimulates saliva, increases stomach activity, contracts the bronchia, dilates blood vessels and slows the heartbeat. This makes the chewer red in the face, brings out a sweat and stimulates the nerves. "In Germany and Switzerland betel nut is used as a household insect repellant, and it can also be used as an ophthalmic astringent," herbal doctor Chang Sen-yung maintains.

But betel nuts do not invariably do you good. Even Chu Hsi thought they were harmful unless eaten for health reasons.

Oral cancer may well be one of the consequences of betel nut chewing.

"In my experience in the department of oral and palate surgery, 60% of oral cancer sufferers chew betel nut," says Dr. Han Liang-chun of National Taiwan University Hospital. The causes of oral cancer have not been properly researched, but there is certainly some link between betel nut and oral cancer.

Other side-effects include deadening of the nerves, loss of vision and dental pyorrhea.

If the effects of eating this nut are so horrendous, why is consumption rising and the area of land given over to betel nut cultivation expanding year by year?

One reason is all-out promotion by dealers.

These days they all use refrigerated booths to keep the nuts fresh and sell cigarettes and cold drinks at the same time. Some attract customers by giving away lighters or a couple of betel nuts free. Telephone delivery service is available, and mobile stalls work the streets. To drum up a brand image dealers promote the different flavors of 'white lime,' 'red lime,' and 'black lime' varieties. Since no tax is payable profits are high, and this has stimulated growth in the market.

"Growing betel nuts needs little capital and is relatively trouble-free," says experienced grower Huang Shui-lung. The betel nut tree has no insect pests, so apart from planting the saplings, watering them and feeding them with fertilizer, they require no further special care. In the seven years between planting and picking the first harvest, one tree only costs you about NT$200. Thereafter it will yield a profitable crop year after year.

Many people are now keen to grow betel nut trees, and any sunny, well-watered place will do. A well drained hillside or the banks of a river bed make perfect sites for betel nut trees. The Meishan area near Chiayi, formerly celebrated for its plum trees, is now largely given over to betel nut plantations, and they are expanding in Nantou and Hualien too. According to official figures, in 1972 only 1,600 hectares were under betel nut cultivation in Taiwan; by 1989 this had risen to 33,000 hectares. In southern Taiwan what used to be the odd row of betel nut trees planted at the side of a field have become vast stretches of betel nut plantations.

From an economic viewpoint the betel nut business is booming, but from a social angle a wider note of concern should be struck.

At a conference on agricultural production last year, Chunghsing University professor Li Ch'ing-yu said growing betel nut trees for profit was the equivalent of growing opium, for both were equally harmful to society. On the other hand Huang Chen-lung, head of Pingtung County's Bureau of Agriculture, argued that chewing betel nut contributed to lowering road accident rates because it enhanced drivers' mental faculties.

"This affects the livelihood of many-tens of thousands of farming families and the rights of millions of consumers," declared Hu Hung-yu, chief of the farm economy section under the Department of Agriculture & Forestry. We should consider betel nut growing dispassionately, because aren't tobacco and wine equally harmful to the health? He pointed out that betel nuts are a foodstuff that is consumed all year round but is grown seasonally. Shortfalls in supply are often made good by smuggling. Last year 25 tonnes of smuggled betel nuts were intercepted, creating a social problem. His suggestion was that the agricultural laboratory should allocate manpower and a budget for developing techniques to extend the betel nut growing season and improve quality standards.

No concrete action has been taken to date on these ideas. The betel nut craze is spreading day by day. According to the Department of Agriculture & Forestry, within five years there will be 40 million betel nut trees in Taiwan. In other words there will be two betel nut trees for every member of the population, or the equivalent of 1,000 betel nuts. This has caused worries among those with our society's interests at heart.

"Laborers apart, betel nut chewers tend to be people with a sense of insecurity," Wu Lo-t'ien opines.

This idea has a medical basis, for research has shown there is a close correlation between the mouth and emotional desires. People who are anxious and depressed often chew on something out of desperation. Betel nuts are an alternative to chewing gum for orientals to chew. As an old saying puts it: "With a betel nut to chew, your troubles will be few." Do we really need to rely on betel nuts to help us put anxieties and dissatisfactions of modern life behind us?

[Picture Caption]

(Above) These ready to plant betel nut saplings are waiting patiently by the roadside for buyers. (photo by Vincent Chang)

Growing betel nuts is cheap and profitable, so farmers are busily turning good fields and hill-sides into betel nut plantations.

Betel nut traders work busily in a booming market. (photo by Vincent Chang)

Betel nuts with red lime and betel pepper leaf make a fresh, natural snack. (photo by Vincent Chang)

The betel pepper must be grown with one male plant alongside two female plants to ensure plentiful growth.

(Far left) Using an extendable carbon-fibre pruning hook is a much easier way of harvesting betel nuts than climbing the tree!

（Above） These ready to plant betel nut saplings are waiting patiently by the roadside for buyers. （photo by Vincent Chang）

Betel nut traders work busily in a booming market. （photo by Vincent Chang）

Betel nuts with red lime and betel pepper leaf make a fresh, natural snack. （photo by Vincent Chang）

（Far left） Using an extendable carbon-fibre pruning hook is a much easier way of harvesting betel nuts than climbing the tree!

The betel pepper must be grown with one male plant alongside two female plants to ensure plentiful growth.