How betel nut chewing in China became a habit for millions, from emperors to commoners

The history of the betel nut, also known as the areca nut, stretches further back than previously thought. New research suggests that people on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi were enjoying its mind-altering effects as long as 25,000 years ago. The discovery began with two ancient skeletons whose teeth bore curious, deep grooves. Australian archaeologists suspected these were the result of repeatedly sucking on whole betel nuts. Chemical analysis subsequently detected traces of arecoline, the...