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Betel nut prices fluctuate frequently. In this stall in Port Moresby they sell for one kina per nut (20 pence) - Torbjörn Wester/The Telegraph David Taim, a civil servant in Port Moresby, the capital ...

A sharp rise in the cost of betelnut and mustard has driven a significant 16.8 percent increase in the Alcoholic Beverages, ...

Mong Shuan was just 16 when she turned to an unconventional source of income: selling betel nuts from a little stall in northern Taiwan. The stimulant, a small, oblong fruit derived from areca palms, ...

Ancient rituals and customs often leave behind obvious archaeological evidence. From the impeccably preserved mummies of Egypt to psychoactive substance residue that remained at the bottom of a clay ...

For the first time, archaeologists have used advanced scientific techniques on 4,000-year-old dental plaque to confirm traces of betel nut chewing in ancient Thai communities. Betel nuts are usually ...

From South Asia to the Pacific islands, people chew betel nut. When munched by habitual users, the seed of the areca palm fruit stains the teeth. And the practice—which typically involves the nut ...

The women are mostly in their early 20s. They have children at home. Selling betel nut — an addictive, natural chew — to passersby in mountain towns of Papua New Guinea is a good way to earn a living.

There is no mistaking that David Taim likes betel nuts. He carries around the day’s ration in a plastic bag, and on his light-colored shirt there are stains of the red saliva that he constantly has to ...