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| Male City Council Areca nuts on Sale Local Market Male |
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| Male Mayor Ali Maniku. Confused.. How come so soon!! |
The Areca nut is the seed of the Areca palm (Areca catechu),
which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. It
is commercially available in dried, cured, and fresh forms. Usually a few
slices of the nut are wrapped in a Betel leaf along with lime and may include
clove, cardamom etc. for extra flavoring. Areca nuts are chewed with betel leaf for
their effects as a mild stimulant, causing a mild hot sensation in the body and
slightly heightened alertness, although the effects vary from person to person.
The high rate of oral cancer in India is due to the chewing
of betel preparations. This can be attributed to the betel leaf, the areca nut,
and to the tobacco which is added to some betel preparations. There is an association
between the chewing of betel preparations and oral and esophageal squamous cell
carcinoma. The addition of tobacco leaf is the most harmful and addictive
component to the chewing mixture. It was introduced during colonial times a
mere few centuries ago.
The Male City Council have embarked on an
ambitious program to plant the Are-ca nut palms on both sides of Majeedi Magu in Male. Make Male Green and the People Sick (MMGPS)
was launched by the Mayor Maizan Ali Maniku and President Mohamed Nasheed. This
program is already bearing fruits. The
government hopes that it can cut the imports of Areca Nuts to Maldives by a
third by the year 2013.
