The tradition is even older than cultural memory extends.

At the same time, the public health dimensions of betel nut use remain serious.

The cancer risk, the addiction potential, the dental destruction documented in the ancient specimens and in modern users alike — these are real costs of the practice.

The deep antiquity of the habit does not change its modern health consequences.

The question of how the discovery will be received in communities where betel nut use is most prevalent is worth watching.

Will the confirmation of great antiquity be mobilized as a cultural argument for the legitimacy of the practice?