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This paper aims to describe the sociocultural context of areca nut use through exploring people's norms and values and the meaning underlying a wide range of different practices. A historical review is followed by an examination of more recent evidence, including quantitative and qualitative research conducted in the United Kingdom. It is concluded that some reports involving the various uses of areca nut and the conclusions drawn are confusing and that future studies need to be more explicit. While a sound scientific background is required, important sociocultural and religious issues around areca nut use must also be understood if health promotion initiatives are to be considered.

This paper first reviews the identity of historical and contemporary users of the areca nut. It then considers the reasons given by users for indulging in areca consumption, drawing upon historical, ethnographic and experimental sources of evidence for the effects which users have sought to derive from it. Particularly important is the social context in which consumption occurs, and the social meanings attached to areca use and exchange. Finally, a possible evolutionary hypothesis is postulated to explain the origins of areca use as a form of behaviour indicating reproductive availability. However, diverse culturally explicit reasons underlie usage and what may once have been a sufficient rationale for consumption may no longer justify this pattern of behaviour.