Betel leaf is a popular herb used in Vietnamese cuisine and is sold in many markets at a cheap price. Betel leaf is used to eat with raw vegetables, season dishes, make tea… Nowadays, betel leaf is used as an ingredient in the production of many functional beauty and acne treatment products. In Japanese cuisine, betel leaf is indispensable when eating sushi. Betel leaf is now widely used by many people to make beauty tea and protect their health.
Betel leaf has many benefits
Beauty: Betel leaf has become a popular beauty ingredient. The Priseril compound in betel leaf helps to fade pigmentation and whiten the skin. Many people use betel leaf for skin whitening, face cleansing, treating melasma, freckles…
Cardiovascular and nervous system protection: The extract from betel leaf can prevent allergic reactions in the body. The Omega-3 content in this leaf is relatively high, so it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties and also provides energy to enhance brain function, thereby preventing the risk of memory loss in the elderly.
In particular, daily absorption of Omega-3 also supports cardiovascular health.
Support for gout and digestion: Betel leaf has 4 active compounds that reduce xanthine oxidase – the substance that produces uric acid causing gout. Using betel leaf daily can improve uncomfortable symptoms in the digestive system, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and mild constipation in irritable bowel syndrome.
Treating skin problems: Drinking betel leaf water can improve itching, urticaria on the skin. Daily use of this type of water is especially effective in relieving itching in people with urticaria.
Stabilizing autoimmune diseases: Compared to many other vegetable oils, betel seed oil contains more alpha-linolenic Omega-3 fatty acids. So what effect does betel leaf have in this regard? Omega-3 is good for controlling autoimmune conditions such as asthma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Betel leaf can also help support the reduction of asthma. Moreover, betel seed oil also inhibits the movement of white blood cells to the lungs, preventing the risk of anaphylactic shock – an abnormal immune response with severe severity that directly threatens life when not promptly treated.
People who should not drink betel leaf water
Although betel leaf has many health benefits, if you are one of the following subjects, you should not use betel leaf.
– People with digestive disorders, diarrhea: When experiencing digestive disorders, if you eat betel leaf, especially raw ones, it can worsen the condition. That is because betel leaf stimulates intestinal peristalsis, gas in the digestive system.
– After using betel leaf, the body sweats continuously and does not stop: People with this condition, even in cool places, need to stop using betel leaf immediately. Betel leaf has a diaphoretic effect, helping the body sweat to treat diseases and eliminate gas by sweating. However, if sweating does not stop after use, the body will be tired, lose electrolytes, dizzy, and muscle cramps, so you should stop drinking betel leaf water and go to the nearest medical facility for timely examination.
– Women after childbirth: Women’s bodies after giving birth are exhausted, and moreover, betel leaf, especially betel leaf and the general group of diaphoretic medicines, will cause bleeding. With weak blood circulation, using betel leaf will further weaken the body. Therefore, women who have just given birth should not use betel leaf.