2024 Vol. 30 No.1 PP 23-28
https://doi.org/10.33451/florafauna.v30i1pp23-28
Betel (Piper betle) as a basis of oral and digestive health security - A case study of Mithila region in North Bihar, India
Sushil Kumar and *Vidyanath Jha1
Department of Botany,
L.N.Mithila University,
DARBHANGA-846004 (BIHAR), INDIA
*MLSM College,
DARBHANGA- 846004 (BIHAR), INDIA1
*Corresponding Author :
E-mail:vidyanathjha@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Traditional practice of betel consumption has been a major factor in maintenance of oral hygiene and digestive health. A
number of secondary metabolites like alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins and saponins are present
in betel leaf that are responsible for its therapeutic action against several human ailments. As such, betel has been a major factor
in health security in India over millenia. Ayurved further refers to its role in delivery of drugs at appropriate places in human body.
Other systems of traditional medicine under the umbrella of AYUSH also refer to the drug potentials of betel.
The paper takes into account the practices related with betel cultivation and its diverse use in relation to health security
practices as prevalent in Mithila area of north Bihar.
KEY WORDS : Betel, Bihar, Drug Delivery, Health Security, Mithila, Oral Hygiene