346 MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



BETEL-NUT, AND CHURRUS : 



AN £XTRA,CT FROM HEMP— ITS CURIOUS. QUALlTlfcs—CURK FOR TETANUS OR LOCKJAW, 

 ALSO FOR WORMS IN HORSES AND DOGS— A SUBSTITUTE FOR TOBACCO, PERHAPS. 



In relation to the action of the Betel-Nut, Mr. Haggar, connected with the 

 - East India Company service, says : " No one ever thinks of giving anything to 

 a dog having worms but the betel-nut. The natives invariably use them. I 

 have not given a horse calomel for worms since 1832. Whenever the indica- 

 tions of these parasites are manifested, such as a staring coat, impaired condi- 

 tion, loss of appetite, &c., I withhold half the dose of aloes, and substitute one 

 or two drachms of the betel-nut in powder, adding a little more ginger, and it turns 

 out the worms like a ' broom in a gutter.' I think the betel-nut has only to be 

 known in England, to come into general use. Its charcoal has been long ex- 

 tolled for making the best tooth-powder known." Now, so far, there seems to 

 be not much resemblance or aflinity betv/een betel-nut and tobacco; but we 

 thought the hint as to its qualities as a vermifuge might be useful to every 

 farmer. It is not known, but inquiry shall be made of our friend Milhau, of 

 Broadway, at the head of the College of Pharmacy, New- York, and to be de- 

 pended upon with unbounded confidence on the score of intelligence in his pro- 

 fession and probity in everything — whether it has been imported and tried in 

 this way in our country ; he will know, and if not he will take care to import 

 some. But we are coming now to present it in other aspects bearing a closer 

 similitude to Nicotiajia tabacum. 



Sir Richard Phillips (we are not sure whether it be the learned author of the 

 History of Fruit-Trees, and the History of Vegetables) says the betel belongs 

 to the same tribe of plants as the peppers — a climbing plant with a leaf in shape 

 and appearance resembling that of ivy, but more tender and full of juice. He 

 adds : " There is an incredible consumption of betel-leaf throughout the East. 

 The inhabitants chew it almost incessantly, and in such quantities that their 

 lips become quite red, and their teeth black, a color greatly fref erred by them to 

 whiteness ! They carry it in little white boxes about their persons, and present 

 it to each other by way of compliment and civility, in the same manner that 

 [Americans] do snuff. This is done by the ivomen [only think of it !] as well as 

 the men, and it would be considered an offence if those to whom it is offered 

 should refuse to accept and chew it. The leaves are somxetimes used alone, but 

 much more commonly when covered with a kind of lime made of sea-shell and 

 wrapped around slices of the areca-nut, the fruit of the areca palm, which is of 

 the size of a small egg, and resembles a nutmeg deprived of its husk." Professor 

 Burnet says : " Slices of the betel-nut wrapped in a leaf of the betel pepper is a 

 favorite masticatory in Southern Asia. A little shell-lime is added to keep the 

 taste and odor longer in the mouth. It gives the saliva a red hue like that of 

 blood, and by constant use the teeth become blackened ; it allays hunger, and is 

 hence chewed, as tobacco is in Europe, to appease the appetite ; and it is said 

 to be the hight of rudeness in the East to speak to a superior without having a 

 quid of betel in the mouth. It produces intoxication when first chewed, but this 

 effect is soon got over, and the natives say that it is a tonic, and moderates pro- 

 fuse perspiration." 



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