Betel Vine

[offset]

I was wondering if anybody has grown Betel Vine in any great number only my other half has decided to grow 600 plants of which i know nothing about I have been through the Internet but I have not found much related to Thailand about growing this plant all I know is that it is what the MIL chews which leaves her mouth in a red colour (and is disgusting)

[jaideeguy]

Are you sure it's betle vine......the one that they chew is called betle nut and comes from a palm tree called the 'betle palm'.

There is a leaf from a vine that they wrap the betle nut in and add a pinch of hydrated lime to activate the chems in the chaw.

[BlueScouse]

Anybody know where I can buy these betel nut trees around the Ubon area.

Wife grows the vines to give away at the loacal temples,also wants to grw

the actual nut.

[offset]

Are you sure it's betle vine......the one that they chew is called betle nut and comes from a palm tree called the 'betle palm'.

There is a leaf from a vine that they wrap the betle nut in and add a pinch of hydrated lime to activate the chems in the chaw.

I am only going by what the other half says this is the leaf that they wrap the nut in and it is used for other medical purposes

[IsaanAussie]

Anybody know where I can buy these betel nut trees around the Ubon area.

Wife grows the vines to give away at the loacal temples,also wants to grw

the actual nut.

Our village grows them from the nuts. I am going to grow some myself for their beauty rather than the nuts. I'm about 100 kms from Ubon bit happy to stick in a few more if you want.

Isaan Aussie

[xen]

I was under the impression that the beetle nut grew on a palm , but there is a ground cover (suppose it could be called a vine - more of a creeper and a set of roots will often grow from each node ) that my ex-wife calls beetle leaf and she grows here in Sydney to use in our restaurants . She uses the leaf as a wrap for pork mince type dish that i do not know the name of.

[oldestswinger]

The leaf that is used does come from a creeper. Grows like a weed and gets everywhere. Sorry i don't know its name. I would guess that at least 50% of houses round here have at least one plant. They can't be expensive to buy; in fact just ask someone to let you pull of some of the shoots and plant them.

[Hawaiian]

jaidee guy, you are correct in your description. I think the vine is in the black pepper family.

I once helped an old Vietnamese lady build a trellis to grow her vine. She harvested the

leaves and Fedexed them to San Francisco to a betel nut distributor.

[afarang]

The correct spelling is BETEL, and it is a nut, which grows on a palm.It grows about the same height as a coconut palm. You grow it from ripe nuts. Just stick them in the soil and wait. They take about 5 to 7 years to bear fruit. The leaf they chew is PLEU or PLOO. Never seen it spelt. You can grow it from a bit of root, taken from someone elses plant.

[Pacificperson]

The palm is the areca nut. It is commonly called betel nut. We have three types of betel nut palms. Two are consumed. One has a white seed inside the nut and the other has a red nut. The red nut is the preferred variety. Both have green exteriors and turn a golden color when ripe. The third type is called "Chinese Betel Nut" and it is purely decorative. It has a bright red husk when ripe.

Some cultures prefer to chew the small imature nuts. In which case, the interior seed is removed and the husk is chewed. Other cultures prefer the ripe nuts, in which case the mature seed is cut from the husk and the the husk is discarded while the seed is chewed. Both are normally wrapped in the betel leaf which is what produces the red saliva. A pinch of lime is added to increase the potency of the high. Sometime a pinch of tobacco from a cigarette is added to the mix for extra effect.

Edited December 22, 2010 by Pacificperson

[afarang]

The palm is the areca nut. It is commonly called betel nut. We have three types of betel nut palms. Two are consumed. One has a white seed inside the nut and the other has a red nut. The red nut is the preferred variety. Both have green exteriors and turn a golden color when ripe. The third type is called "Chinese Betel Nut" and it is purely decorative. It has a bright red husk when ripe.

Some cultures prefer to chew the small imature nuts. In which case, the interior seed is removed and the husk is chewed. Other cultures prefer the ripe nuts, in which case the mature seed is cut from the husk and the the husk is discarded while the seed is chewed. Both are normally wrapped in the betel leaf which is what produces the red saliva. A pinch of lime is added to increase the potency of the high. Sometime a pinch of tobacco from a cigarette is added to the mix for extra effect.

Not a betel leaf, it is called ploo.As the Betel is a palm ,it does not have leaves, and would be very bloody difficult to harvest ,every time you wanted a "snack"

[oldestswinger]

OK guys, let's get it straight! The betel nut is from the areca palm. The leaf is from the piper betle, known in English as the betel vine, in Thai as ploo.

[offset]

OK guys, let's get it straight! The betel nut is from the areca palm. The leaf is from the piper betle, known in English as the betel vine, in Thai as ploo.

Thanks for clearing that up but I would still like to know if anybody grows it in any number there are a few people around where I live that grow it on a large scale but I am trying to find out if there are any problems in growing only the money seems quite good to sell the leaves which makes me think that it is not as easy as I am told

[Hawaiian]

Offset, not sure if it is difficult to cultivate in Thailand. Here in Hawaii there are places

where it thrives in the wild. In a previous post I mentioned about an old Vietnamese lady

who raised it her yard on wooden trellises. Growing conditions: subtropical with temperature

range 60F to 85F, annual rainfall 140 inches, direct sunlight to partial shade, elevation sea level to 500 feet, acidic soil. Never saw any insect damage. Hope this helps.

[BlueScouse]

OK guys, let's get it straight! The betel nut is from the areca palm. The leaf is from the piper betle, known in English as the betel vine, in Thai as ploo.

Thanks for clearing that up but I would still like to know if anybody grows it in any number there are a few people around where I live that grow it on a large scale but I am trying to find out if there are any problems in growing only the money seems quite good to sell the leaves which makes me think that it is not as easy as I am told

The vine is easy to grow.My wife reckons the leaves sell for 5 baht for 10 leaves in the local market.Doubt if you would make much money selling it.

The number of people chewing betel nut is getting less each year,as the old people die off and youngsters don't seem to take up the habit.

Issangeorge,thanks fr the offer but wife says she can get a palm or two from nearby.

[offset]

Bluescouse

At the moment the leaves are selling for about 1baht each and they are for export as I have said before I know that it grows here because there are a few places around me that grow it but I am more in need of help about what problems that I may get growing it as far as pest and diseases

Edited December 27, 2010 by offset