How to Plant and Cultivate Betel

How to Plant and Cultivate Betel – Familiar with betel leaf? Maybe in your place this plant is called by another name, can be sireh, message, or sedah. This plant is believed to be rich in health benefits, especially as a medicinal plant. Even our ancestors have used and utilized the benefits of betel leaf. To get the benefits of this leaf, people usually plant it in the yard of the house as TOGA. How to plant and cultivate betel leaves is very easy for anyone to do.

1. The content of betel leaf

Betel leaf contains many active substances such as essential oils which are very nutritious for health. With so much content, betel leaf is known to be able to treat various diseases such as eczema, asthma, skin diseases, treat acne, facilitate menstruation and treat vaginal discharge. Betel leaf extract is also believed to be able to overcome bad breath and eliminate body odor.

2. Types of Betel

The betel tree is a vine that can climb up to about 5-15 meters. The leaves are oval shaped like eggs with a dark green color. The stems are wrapped in tendrils, the flowers are spike-shaped with a length of 3-6 cm at the end of the branch. This medicinal plant also has many varieties ranging from Javanese betel with soft leaves, not too pleasant smell and green grass. There is a Dutch betel whose leaves are large, dark green, have a spicy taste and a sharp smell. For small leaves of betel cloves. Named cloves betel because the yellow leaves taste like cloves.

Red betel or Piper crocatum has the same physical form as green betel. The leaves are like hearts with a pointed tip. And it's clear where the difference lies in color. Red betel leaf has a white and dark green patterned leaf surface, the leaf segments are red. The underside of the surface is full red. The benefits of red betel for health are no longer in doubt. The next type is black betel or betel ireng. The plant with the scientific name Piper sp is used as a medicine as well as an ornamental plant. As the name implies, this betel looks black, when in fact it is not black. This betel is very dark green or dark so it looks black.

3. Living Conditions of Betel Plants

Betel plants are easy to find in Indonesia, especially at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level. And grows wild in rainforests and teak forests. Although it grows in the forest, nowadays it is often found in its cultivation. If you want to try betel cultivation, take the top end of the vine about 40-50 cm. In order to grow well, betel plants need support to stay alive. The place to lean on can be a kapok tree, dadap, moringa or gamal.