Show betel nut chewing the betel nut palm Is a native of the malay peninsula where it lias has been cultivated for 2400 years the fibrous fruit about the size of a hens ess egg Is bright orange or red in color and contains a hard seed or nut as large as a lilbert filbert the natives cut the nuts into slices add lime to them roll them into a betel pepper leaf and chew them this habit which has been common to all indians and malayan races since B 0 and which serves as a narcotic colors the mouth and lips red and blackens and eventually destroys the teeth europeans Kuro la in general do not care tor for it but it Is immensely popular in the orient A adrid ind of catechu a substance used in medicine is extracted from the nuts the palm Is cultivated and the nuts are exported |