臺灣檳榔的歷史與健康危害

The History and Health Hazards of Betel Nut in Taiwan

檳榔的使用歷史悠久，除了在社交上佔有一席之地，也曾做為醫藥用途，但隨著科學研究日益更新，不只檳榔添加物，檳榔子也被證實具有致癌性，主要致癌部位為口腔、口咽、下咽及食道，除此之外，對於體內的各個系統也有不同程度的影響。口腔癌為台灣十大癌症死因之一，而檳榔是造成口腔癌的最常見原因，因此戒檳榔是近年來公共衛生一大重要課題。了解它的過去用途和在生活中所扮演的角色，以及在近年研究中所發現的健康危害，皆能讓我們在戒檳衛教上更得心應手。

Betel nuts chewing has a long history. It used to occupy an important position in social life and has also been used for medical purposes. However, with increasing scientific research, not only betel nut additives but also areca nut itself has been confirmed to be carcinogenic. The impacted sites are mainly oral cavity, pharynx (excluding nasopharynx) and esophagus. Apart from being carcinogen, it has diverse effect on the human body affecting almost all organ systems. Oral cancer is one of the top ten causes of cancer death in Taiwan, and betel nut is the most common direct risk factor of oral cancer. Abstaining betel nuts is an important public health issue in recent years. The objective of this article is to review the history and culture of betel nut and knowing the health hazards about areca nut. This might help the health education promotion.