India is the world leader in Areca nut production. India consumes most of its domestic areca nut produce. Paan (Betel quid, Tambula) made out of areca nut, betel leaf and slaked lime with or without tobacco is chewed in India. Both major variants of areca nuts, such as Chaali (white supari), Kempadike (red supari) are used for making the betel quid. Betel quid made out of areca nut slices / pieces, sweetened rose petals (Gulkand), cardamum, clove, fennel seeds, grated coconut etc. wrapped in betel leaf laced with catechu extract and lime is a popular dessert among the urban consumers. Apart from this, areca nut is also consumed in the form of Paanmasala, Gutkha and Mawa. All the three are dry preparations, wherein Paanmasala and Gutkha are produced by major companies and are packed in attractive sachets. Whereas Mawa is prepared by Paan vendors as per the preferences of the consumer. It essentially consists of tobacco (Zarda, Kiwam etc.) Chaali (or roasted Chali) and slaked lime. Paanmasala is basically a preparation of areca nut (mostly red supari), Catechu extract, cardamom, lime and number of natural and artificial perfuming and flavoring materials. Gutkha is the variant of Paanmasala in which, in addition to ingredients of Paanmasala, flavored chewing tobacco is added. Usually, Paanmasaala is prepared out of red supari (Kempadike) or roasted Chali (also called as Pakka supari).
As per a nationwide representative
cross-sectional study conducted in 2016-17, about 23.9% of the adult population
consume areca nut in India. This translates into approximately 22.38 crore people
consuming areca nut in one or the other form in 2016-17. Majority users (13.29
crore) consumed areca nut with tobacco. In four states, Meghalaya, Assam,
Mizoram and Manipur, over half of the population consume areca nut. Furthermore,
Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Odisha constitute nearly
55% of the country’s areca nut users. The age-wise pattern suggests that areca
nut consumption without tobacco began to decline from age 51 onwards. But in
the case of areca nut consumption with tobacco and in both forms, it increased
with age. Higher consumption of areca nut with tobacco & without tobacco
was found among daily wage/casual labourers compared to the educated and
affluent class. Compared to the Hindus, Muslims were found to consume more betel
quid with and without tobacco. Urban–rural differences by state suggest that in
18 states, areca nut consumption was higher in urban areas than in rural areas.
Interestingly, consumption of areca nut without tobacco was higher in urban
areas than their rural counterparts.
In general, the practice of Tambula (Betel quid, Paan) chewing among the general public is based on four factors.
- Social acceptability.
- Religious beliefs
- Perceived health benefits
- Addiction.
In India, due to the historical reasons, Tambula (Betel quid) has a very high level of social acceptability. Majority believes in the health benefits of Tambula due to the higher influence of traditional medicinal systems such as Ayurveda and Unani. None of the Hindu rituals will be complete without offering Tambula to the deity and to the priests. Interestingly tobacco has no place in Hindu rituals. Unlike few countries such as Papua New Ginea and Taiwan, areca nut addiction is not a reason for areca nut consumption in India. However, those who are addicted to the tobacco, consume areca nut in the form of betel quid (Tambula), Gutkha, Mawa.
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