ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF ARECA NUT, ARECA CATECHU, L: A REVIEW

Areca palm, Areca catechu L., is widely cultivated in several South Asian and Southeast Asian countries.The seeds of areca nut have been widely used in clinical practices.Areca nut has an important place in the ancient Indian system of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy.It is traditionally used in a number of ailments for its laxative, digestive, carminative, antiulcer, antidiarrhoeal, anthelmintic, antimalarial, antihypertension, diuretic, prohealing, antibacterial, hypoglycaemic, antiheartburn activities.The observations in this review proved that the areca nut palm is a reservoir of potentially useful chemical compounds which could be served as drugs and might provide newer leads and clues for modern medicine.The bioactive components present in areca nut were worthy enough for further detailed studies and exploit them for their inherent ability as antimicrobial agents.