After chewing for 2000, this little green fruit, from medicine to addictive popular history

It seems that in recent years, everyone likes to say "up".

But today's stuff, Axin advised you to try not to try.

It can be regarded as "fruit" or "net red snacks", but it is listed in the "Four Heavenly Kings" of human addictive substances. It is listed as banned drugs by Turkey, Singapore and other countries. It is betel nut.

However, in the eyes of Hunan people in the source of betel nut snacks, this is also too grass and trees. It is the so -called "betel nut smoke and the magic power is boundless". The proportion of chewing has long been easily exceeded 41%. The taste of the air is almost equivalent to betel nut.

How addicted to the Chinese people who are not humble, can the Chinese chew?

Data: In 2020, although the total production of betel nut in China was ranked in India, it could only be counted as the second child, but it also exceeded 310,000 tons!

The production of betel nut in the world's main betel nut production areas from 2007 to 2020

The size of the whole industry chain of betel nut in the country is nearly 100 billion yuan, which is the second largest economic crop in Hainan, with 2.3 million farmers' clothing and food.

In Fruit Paradise Taiwan, the planting area of ​​betel nut exceeding 42,000 hectares is 2.5 times that of the second banana.

Although the WHO repeatedly warned that betel nut is a first -class carcinogen and is closely related to the incidence of oral cancer. In recent years, the consumer population of betel nut in my country has soared to more than 60 million, and the number of chewing people worldwide has exceeded 800 million ...

So, how is the popular betel nut? Why can't we quit?

Today, Axin will recommend you a new book- "One Chew for two thousand years: from drugs to addictive products, betel nuts in Chinese pop history", the author is Dr. Cao Yu, a food scholar of Bennan University. , I was scored 9.6.

This book systematically explains the relationship between betel nut and Chinese food culture from the perspective of history, anthropology, sociology, and ethnicology.

At the moment we have become stronger and stronger for the call of betel nut based on health considerations, perhaps the first thing we have to do is to face the deep connection with us in history and culture for more than 2,000 years.

1. Who is the first person to eat betel nut?

Betel nut, palm -based plants, are evergreens native to the Malaysian Peninsula or the Philippine Islands.

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The history of humans chewing betel nut can be traced back to the prehistoric era. According to archeological discovery and carbon annual law, it can be presided as that the earliest chewing betel nut is indeed cutting evidence -from the Neolithic relics from the Neolithic Age from the capital of Balawed Island, Philippines.

There are obvious betel nut staining traces on the human teeth unearthed in the cave. According to the carbon annual method, it can be speculated that the time is about 2660 BC.

Betel nut chewing is a kind of addiction with significant ethnic characteristics. From the perspective of the distribution of betel nuts today, the South Island speakers are not only inventors chewing betel nut, but also the practitioners who have implemented them to this day.

The so -called South Island language clan is a collective name for many ethnic groups that belong to the "South Island Department" or "Malay -Polynescanian". To Easter Island, west to Madagascar Island, the current population is close to 400 million.

The South Island language clan has its own uniqueness in culture. The most significant appearance characteristics are the "carving black teeth" often described in Chinese historical documents, that is, the appearance of the face tattoos and black teeth, the appearance of the black teeth and the chewing food Betel nut has a lot to do.

South Island culture generally believes that black teeth are the basic difference between humans and animals. Because black teeth are a cultural logo, that is, the acquired behavior is made, so the phenomenon of chewing betel nut exists in almost all South Island language communities.

Not only in the South Island Cultural Circle, along the entire Asian Pacific coast, from the north of Honan Island, all the way to Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan Island, Philippine Islands, Hainan Island, Vietnam, Malay Peninsula, Sunda Islands, New Guinea Island, Southern Island, Southern, Southern, Black teeth are a common phenomenon in the west coastal culture of the Pacific Ocean on the Moranician Islands.

Because fresh betel nut has a strong astringent taste during the chewing process, through the accumulation of perennial experience, the ancestors of the South Island found that the mussels that burned the mussel shell and the leaf with natural spices can be eaten. Significant improvement.

When a text records the traditional ancient India and Chinese civilization contact the South Island language, betel nut, lime, and cricket leaves are already a habit of the South Island language. This method has passed on to this day.

蒌 蒌 蒌 蒌 蒌

Because the ancestors of the South Island did not have their own original text, the text records of betel nuts in ancient India were the earliest and there were many quantities. So far, India is still the largest country for chewing betel nut.

In India, chewing blocks wrapped in coriander leaves and usually contain betel nut, which is generally called PAAN. Chewing Paan is a very common habit in India, usually after meals. Most Paan contains betel nut and tobacco, but some are wrapped fruits and spices, which can also play a fresh tone.

The tradition of chewing PAAN is very long. It was popular in the Ashoka era. The Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang was recorded during the study of Naituo Temple in India.

In Buddhism, betel nut is one of the important offerings.

There is also a very special way of betel nut in India, called Fire Paan — 点 现在 现在 现在 现在 现在, and then eat it.

Wrap the betel nut fruit with betel nut, add various spices and dried fruits, and then sprinkle some edible wax on it. After lit the flame, send it directly to the mouth. However, British colonists hate the customs of chewing betel nut in South Asia and Southeast Asia. When Sir James Emerson Tannante visited Sri Lanka in 1860:

The people of Sri Lanka chewed leaves, lime and betel nuts. When these three ingredients are mixed together, saliva is red, and the lips and teeth look like covered by blood ... The custom of vain.

Wall stained with betel nut juice

This attitude of the British later deeply affected the colonial administrative authorities after independence. Even after independence, the authorities in Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, and Myanmar have launched a social movement of "eliminating the bad habit of chewing betel nut" many times. , But the effect is not great.

2. From "washing 瘴 2" to "Emotional Things": How does betel nut have evolved into a "native" product in China?

Chinese characters recorded that betel nuts can be traced back to the Emperor Hanwu, and it has been about 2200 years.

In 111 BC, Emperor Wudi sent troops to destroy South Vietnam. When he returned to Shi'an, he brought a large number of tropical plants unique to South Vietnam, including betel nuts, palm, litchi, etc., and planted it in Furthoya near Changan.

Betel nut appeared in Chinese character literature for the first time, in Sima Xiangru's "Shanglin Fu": "Remove the evil, frequent benevolence, and sandalwood." The transliteration of betel nut "jambi".

Chinese literature once again mentioned that betel nut was in the Han and Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty (reigned from 88-105 AD). Scholar Yang Fu from Lingnan used the word betel nut in "Fortune" to name this plant, and the horse The coming betel nut "PINANG" is close.

Since then, the name of betel nut has been inherited for nearly 2000 years and has not changed.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, traditional Chinese medicine made great progress. A large number of exotic products entered the scope of traditional Chinese medicine, and the medicinal nature of betel nut was also recognized.

Betel nuts have paralyzed or driving effects on Chinese testes (alias liver absorbing worms), blood suction worms, blood suction worms, tapeworms, worms, and tapeworms.

In particular, considering the warm climate in the Lingnan area, there are many parasitic diseases. Chewing betel nut is not only an addictive custom, but also a necessary means for ancient health care.

Therefore, after the middle of the Tang Dynasty, doctors gradually established the concept of "betel nut to remove". During the Northern Song Dynasty, the great literary man, Su Shi, was degraded to Hainan and once wrote a "Yong betel nut", which was explicitly recommended that betel nut to eliminate the merit:

Who plant the smell to the seaside, the pavilion is straight and the branches.

Blossom trees turn green, wrinkles in the knot buds.

It can heal hunger and incense, which can eliminate the warmth.

What is the pile of the pile is occasionally, and the leaves are freshly rolled out of Cuiyun.

From Yang Fu in the Eastern Han Dynasty to Su Shi in the Northern Song Dynasty, in the past 1,000 years, there are no streams of people in the Central Plains to Lingnan. Lingnan has also changed from a remote land to the rich land of Wo Ye Qianli and Shang Jia.

The betel nut set the Han nation's expansion in the south, and it should not be forgotten, so it is also given alias "washing".

For Chinese history, betel nut has not only positive medicinal value, but also develops unique cultural meanings.

Wan Zhen of Wu Guo of the Three Kingdoms said in "Eight County Chronicle of Nanzhou":

Betel nuts are as large as jujube, color green, like lotus seeds. The other people think that they are expensive, and the wedding families are good, and they first put this thing.

For the first time, the cultural attributes of betel nut have been mentioned, which marks that betel nuts have entered the Chinese cultural system, and they have cultural significance in the Yue people and Han people in Lingnan.

According to Wan Zhen, at that time, whether they were married or hospitable at that time, they must first be picked up for the guests. If they did not worship the betel nut during reception, they were a characteristic of mutual relationships.

The Chinese style method of betel nut also shows its special significance in the etiquette of hospitality. Betel nut is "metaphysics", and the role of betel nut is Benlang, which is something that hires guests.

After the Nanku of the Jin Dynasty, Jiankang, the ruling center, was not far away from the Lingnan area, and the exchanges with Lingnan were becoming increasingly frequent, so that many celebrities also had the opportunity to come into contact with foreign bodies like betel nut.

Zuo Si, 、 左, Yu Yiqi and other famous Wei and Jin scholars, using the "Senxiu Wu Ke" of the betel nut tree, there are no branches, and a straightforward manner, there is no two hearts, consistently the same; A few hundred trees are almost the same, indicating the meaning of "no different heart".

The metaphor of the political character that gives the betel nut highly clean, but most of the flat -headed people in the later generations did not have the opportunity to play for the king and "serve" the people. Love is loyal.

The "Wu Ke" of betel nut has been borrowed as a representation of men and women's love, so there are many betel nut songs in later generations, and the main purpose is basically related to men and women.

Taiwan's "betel nut Xi Shi" for betel nut

After the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Yu used the betel nut as a symbol of eroticism in "Yidouzhu · Xiao Makeup":

The embroidered bed obliquely did not have no that, chewing red, and smiled at Tan Lang.

This word is written by the love between Li Yu and the aftermath of the Da Zhou. It is a piece of chewing red for a while, and the charming and coquettish figure of the chewing betel nut is described as living and fragrant.

In "Dream of Red Mansions", a section of Jia Yi and You Er, betel nut also entered the mirror:

Jia Yi did not dare to make a manual feet. Because seeing the second sister holding a silk with a lotus bag fiddled, he touched his waist and touched it. , Enjoy me a bite. "The second sister said:" The betel nut is there, just my betel nut never gives people. "

Jia Yan smiled and wanted to get closer. The second sister was afraid that people would see indecentness, so she smiled quickly and came over. Jia Yan poured in his hand and fell out. He picked half of the rest and ate the rest in his mouth, and put all the rest.

Jia Yan asked for betel nut from the second sister of You, and Sister You's answer was half a push and half. She knew that betel nut had a meaning and had a heart to hook up with Jia Yi, but she was afraid that Jia Yi's intentions were not firm. "People eat", and eventually they were thrown to Jia Yi.

Jia Yi got the betel nut of Sister You, as if she had the sound of allowing the upper body, and naturally she was full of heart. She picked half of the leftovers betel nut, and the flirting meaning was even more explicit.

3. Hunan, which does not produce betel nut, why becomes a "betel nut land" in modern China?

When it comes to betel nut, we will always think of Hunan very naturally.

The two major production areas of Chinese betel nuts, Taiwan and Hainan, of which Hainan contributed 99%of the production of betel nut in mainland China.

But the huge contribution to modern betel nut culture is Hunan.

The phrase "Whatever Ceya" in Changsha is a greeting of adults.

However, the habit of eating betel nut in Hunan has to start from the Qing Dynasty.

At that time, Jia Qingye wrote a personal response to the memorial of Akscar in Guangdong Customs to supervise Akdang Aka's Zhenzhuo, and he told him:

To keep the tribute, follow the old example, there is no need to add, everything is reluctant. However, a betel nut, I often take it when I was, and each time I presented it, it was wrong.

It can be seen that in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, betel nut was already a consumer product that the nobles were also obsessed with.

The prosperity of betel nut in Hunan is about the events of Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng.

The center is in Xiangtan.

The Xiangtan of the Qing Dynasty was particularly rich. Hunan has the sayings that "Jinxiangtan and Yinyi Yang". Whether the cargo ship goes north or Hankou to the south, Xiangtan is an important pier for coastal and inland commerce.

Betel nut is an important medicinal material produced in Lingnan, and Xiangtan is an important medicinal port of the medicinal material along the Xiangjiang Waterway. Naturally, a large number of betel nuts are collected in Xiangtan.

In 1864, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom War, the route changed, and a large number of betel nuts were "blocked" in Xiangtan.

Coupled with Zeng Guofan's good treatment, the Xiang army soldiers mainly from central Hunan region were dissolved. The rich and idle veterans quickly aimed at the luxury of betel nut.

From Lingnan to Xiangtan, betel nuts have undergone important changes in eating methods. This is almost the world. The most obvious thing is to change from fresh betel nut to smoked and stored dry betel nut.

There are three main processed betel nuts created by Xiangtan people.

The first item is the appetite, usually lime and cinnamon oil. Cinnamon's aromatherapy and smell are close to the leaves, so this is a way to replace the leaf. The second item is smoky. The third item is dotted halogen. There are hundreds of types of brine, and most of the brine formulas have sugar substances to improve the taste.

The people of Xiangtan are very good at bringing in the transformation of "snackization" of betel nuts, and invented the "rose betel nut", "sesame betel nut" and "wolfberry betel nut" and other palatable betel nut categories.

Xiangtan betel nut has began in the first few years of the 21st century outside the Xiangtan area.

In the first few years of the 21st century, after a series of successful operations, Hunan Media greatly improved its influence and became a national cultural brand.

This gives betel nut the opportunity to obtain national attention with the promotion of Huxiang media culture. This is the object condition of Xiangtan betel nut to get out of Xiangtan.

The phrase "Your taste, I know", for the first time pushed Xiangtan betel nut to the front of the national television audience, this also officially opened the market competition of betel nut companies, spreading from a province in Hunan to the whole country.

The marketing of betel nut is also a must. You may have read this news: A man spent 15 yuan to buy betel nut. Unexpectedly, even 11 packs, the man said he was embarrassed:

I really don't want to dismantle anymore.

Bind betel nut and single, and hit the user's "pain point" everywhere:

But the prosperity of betel nut culture is also significant.

In 2017, the Department of Oral Mask -facial Mask Department of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University published a research paper on the number of patients with oral cancer patients in Hunan, stating that from 2006 to 2016, the proportion of patients with oral cancer caused by betel nut in ten years soared from 23.94%. To 85.53%, the number of people was nearly 20 times.

This can't help but let everyone's heart tightened: how long will betel nut?

4. Addiction+carcinogen: Should you still make betel nuts popular?

The main addiction ingredients of betel nut are betel nut. The last one of the four major addictive substances in the contemporary world is nicotine, alcohol and caffeine.

Compared with several other items, the addiction of betel nut is very weak. , Not that betelia itself is difficult to quit.

Betel nut is not a kind of addictive hobby. The reason for the formation of chewing betel nut habits is mainly occupational dependence and social dependence.

Betel nut chewyers are particularly concentrated in passenger and cargo transport drivers, police, security, factory night shift workers, and e -sports practitioners. Among these professional groups, once the atmosphere of chewing betel nut has been formed in a small circle, it will be quite stable. It is difficult for people in the social circle to from the outside of this "chewing betel nut" atmosphere. However, once the betel nut chewy is out of such a social circle, it is usually not too difficult to quit betel nut.

Regarding the issue of public concerns, "One Chew for 2 Thousand Years: From Drugs to Addiction, Betel nuts in China" pointed out that betel nuts are unlikely to have a large popularity across the country, as well as the significant growth of production and consumption; at present The situation is roughly the peak of betel nut in China.

Betel nuts can no longer get a wide range of popular opportunities like tobacco and alcohol. The "historical time window" of manufacturing addiction products has passed. The historical time window of the large -scale spread of plant addiction only appeared in the mid -16th to the mid -20th century. After this time, this window was always closed.

Another reason is the public's health awareness. Chewing betel nut for a long time will cause physical damage+chemical destruction to the oral cavity. The two tubes will cause continuous damage to the oral mucosa.

As early as 2004, betel nut fruit had been designated by the World Health Organization as a first -class carcinogen.

On September 17, 2021, the General Office of the State Administration of Radio and Television issued the "Notice on Stopping the use of radio and television and online audiovisual programs to promote and sell betel nut and its products". Audiovisual programs are promoted to sell betel nuts and their products. "

Patients who cut their faces due to oral cancer due to betel nut.

This strong administrative measures further stirred up the extensive discussion of the problem of betel nut carcinoma in public opinion space, and the government is also likely to further introduce new measures to restrict betel nut products in the future.

"Two thousand years: from medicine to addictive products, the history of betel nut in China" wrote:

2021 is an important inflection point. From now on, the betel nut market should only shrink.

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