Areca catechu - The areca palm is a common species found growing throughout the islands of the Pacific Ocean, Asia and Eastern Africa. The nuts of the palm are wrapped in the leaves of the betel plant, a close relative of the kava plant, and then chewed by the local population. This mixture of areca nut and betel leaf produces a mild stimulant induced by arecoline, the active ingredient of the areca nut. Arecoline is an oily substance similar in property to the nicotine found in cigarettes.
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The first settlers of Palau came from either Indonesia or the Philippines. British traders made use of the island, but it was Spanish explorers who claimed Palau in the 19th century and made the island part of the Spanish East Indies. With Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American war, Spain sold most of the Carolina Islands, including Palau, to Germany. After World War I, Palau passed to Japan; after World War II, the United States took control of the islands. Palau declared itself independent in 1981.
