Uses of Betel leaf

In Papua New Guinea, betel is mixed with a mustard stick dipped in lime powder to reduce stress, control hunger and stimulate the senses.

In Bengali weddings, the bride enters the wedding mandap by covering her face with two betel leaves and takes them away to see her bridegroom only in the Shubha Drishti ritual, an auspicious glimpse. In Maharashtra, after the marriage ceremony, the bridegroom holds a paan beda in his mouth and invites his bride to take a bite from the paan.