Betel

An attractive 19th century engraving of one of the most popular psychoactive substance in the world.

This elegant color-printed stipple engraving is the work of Pierre Jean François Turpin, widely considered one of the greatest botanical illustrators of the 19th century. Originally published in the Flore Médicale, a landmark French compendium of medicinal plants, the plate provides a scientifically precise rendering of the Betel (Piper betle).

The betel leaf is the essential component of the betel quid, a mild stimulant preparation consumed by millions of people across South Asia and the Pacific. To prepare the quid, a fresh leaf is typically coated with a paste of slaked lime and wrapped around thin shavings of the areca nut. When held in the mouth, like a plug of tobacco, released alkaloids provide a stimulative effect and are said to aid in digestion.