• The areca nut is important in the Austronesian civilization, especially in the modern day Indonesia and Malaysia.

• The seed contains alkaloids such as arecaidine and arecoline, which, when chewed, are intoxicating and slightly addictive. Areca palms are grown in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and many other Asian countries for their seeds.

• The seed also contains condensed tannins (procyanidins) called arecatannins which are carcinogenic.