The
paan leaves are generally chewed either by itself or in combination with slaked
lime, betel nuts (areca variety) and other spices like aniseed and sometimes
tobacco etc.
Preparation
of paan is an art and the secret technique is passed down from generation to
generation. Chewing the leaves and nuts promotes red colored stimulating
salivation. This has been in practice for thousands of years. It was a craze
among aristocrats.
There
are several ways a paan can be folded. This is a special branch of the paan
culture. Asian history is incomplete without the paan.
Paan
is an antiseptic that freshens the breath and is also an ayurvedic aphrodisiac
medicine. Myriad are the uses of paan. It cures headaches, joint pain and
arthritis as well as toothaches. In some places it serves the purpose of an
antibiotic and a digestive medicine. It cures constipation, congestion and
helps in lactation. It even helps in ridding the body of worms. Unani stream of
medicine claims that paan is a sweet smelling stimulant that prevents
flatulency. It stops bleeding. Applying heated paan as a foment, especially in
the case of children cures stomach troubles. Drinking betel leaves boiled with
black pepper can cure indigestion.
Reference
to the use of betel leaf goes back more than two thousand years, in an ancient
Pli book of Srilanka, ‘Mahawamsa’. In the Vedas too there is reference to paan
being the first offering to the guru. Paan is found in Shrimad Bhagavat as Lord
Krishna used to chew. This evidence is of 5000 years ago. In the Shrimad Bulath
Pdhaya is a special dance mentioned in the Kohomba Kankariya of Srilanka. Here
the sacred and practical are entwined in poetic beauty excellence.
The
Tradition of eating paan was popularized by Noor Jehan, the mother of Emperor
Shah Jehan.Empress Noor Jehan discovered that by adding some ingredients to
paan and eating it gives a natural red colour to the lips, catechu (Kattha) and
quick lime (chuuna).
