Puga
Areca catechu
Puga (Areca catechu) is a plant drug, also called Ghonta, Guvakah and Khapura. Its dose is restricted because of its arecoline content.
| Botanical name | Areca catechu |
|---|---|
| Family | Arecaceae · other entries in this family |
| Order | Arecales |
| Taxon identifiers | GBIF 2736531 · Wikidata Q156969 · NCBI Taxonomy 184783 |
| Sanskrit | Ghonta, गुवाकः (guvākaḥ), खपुर (khapura), Kramuka, क्रमुकः (kramukaḥ), पूगः (pūgaḥ) |
|---|---|
| Hindi | चामरपुष्प (cāmarapuṣpa), Chaalia, गूआ (gūā), गुवा (guvā), गुवाक (guvāka), खपुर (khapura), सुपारी (supārī) |
| English | Areca nut, Betle nut |
| Tamil | Kamugu, Pakhumaram, Pakku, அடைக்காய், கமுகு |
| Malayalam | Adakku, Pakku |
| Telugu | Paka chekka, Vakka |
| Kannada | Adika |
| Marathi | Pophal, Supari |
| Bengali | Supari |
| Gujarati | Sopari |
| Urdu | Choalia, Fufal |
| Punjabi | Spari |
| Oriya | Gua |
| Assamese | Tamol |
| Kashmiri | Spari |
Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India Part I, PUGA (Seed) = Areca catechu Linn., Sanskrit synonyms: 'Kramuka, Ghonta'; Names of Plants in India compilation for Areca catechu (Dinesh Valke, the dataset behind eFloraofIndia pages), Hindi: 'चामरपुष्प, गुवाक, गूआ OR गुवा, खपुर, पूग, पूगी, पुंगी, सुपारी, उद्वेग'.; Names of Plants in India, Areca catechu, Hindi 'गूआ OR गुवा guwa'. Corroborated by wisdomlib's Guwa entry ('Guwa [गुवा, गूआ] in the Hindi language is the name of a plant identified with Areca catechu L., Arecaceae', citing CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names regional names).; Names of Plants in India, Areca catechu, Hindi 'गूआ OR गुवा guwa'; wisdomlib Guwa entry lists both गुवा and गूआ as Hindi for Areca catechu L.; Names of Plants in India, Areca catechu, Hindi list; API Part I, PUGA (Seed) = Areca catechu Linn., Hindi: 'Supari, Chaalia'; Names of Plants in India, Areca catechu, Sanskrit: पूगः, पूगफल, पूगी, अकोटः, वल्कतरुः, उद्वेग; API monograph title PUGA (Seed) = Areca catechu; Names of Plants in India, Areca catechu, Tamil: அடைக்காய் (atai-k-kay); Names of Plants in India, Areca catechu, Tamil: அடைக்காய், சகுந்தம், சாமரபுட்பம், கமுகு, கந்தி, கூந்தற்கமுகு, பூகம், விம்பு. Corroborated by API PUGA Tamil 'Kamugu, Pakku, Pakhumaram'; eFloraofIndia, Areca catechu, Hindi: चामरपुष्प, गुवाक (guvak), सुपारी, पूग, उद्वेग; same list in the Names of Plants in India compilation.; eFloraofIndia, Areca catechu, Sanskrit: अकोटः, चामरपुष्प, गुवाकः (guvakah), पूगफल, उद्वेग; Names of Plants in India gives the same Sanskrit list including गुवाकः.; eFloraofIndia, Areca catechu: चामरपुष्प (chamarpushpa) appears in both the Hindi and the Sanskrit lists; Names of Plants in India repeats it in both.; wisdomlib Khapura entry quoting three Sanskrit lexica: Apte's Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary ('the betel-nut tree'), Shabda-Sagara ('the betel tree, Areca faufel or catechu'), and Monier-Williams ('the betel-nut tree'). Also in the Sanskrit list of Names of Plants in India for Areca catechu.. How we source.
The evidence at a glance
12papers on this site for this drug, published 1998 to 2025, 11 with a DOI.
- 10Other clinical studies and reviews
- 2Laboratory and animal studies
A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.
Names and identification
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit | Puga |
Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)
| Property | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rasa (Taste) | Kashaya | Primary taste |
| Guna (Quality) | Guru, Ruksha | Physical quality |
| Virya (Potency) | Sheeta | Heating/Cooling effect |
| Vipaka (Post-digestive) | Katu | Post-digestive effect |
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Churna (nut powder), Kwatha (decoction), Tablet, Capsule, Supari (processed betel nut), Mouth freshener formulation
Standard Dosage: 1-2 g processed nut powder daily; 500 mg standardized extract daily; traditional chewing: small piece (1-2 g) after meals. CAUTION: restricted dose due to arecoline content
Optimal Timing: Traditional: small piece after meals for digestive stimulation. Not recommended for regular/prolonged use. Any therapeutic use should be under qualified practitioner supervision.
Storage: Dried nut: cool, dry, pest-proof storage, below 25 deg C. Processed products: airtight containers, protect from moisture. Extracts: amber containers, below 25 deg C. All: protect from insect infestation (susceptible to storage pests).
Marker Compounds: Arecoline, Arecaidine, Guvacine, Guvacoline, Catechin, Epicatechin, Procyanidin B1, Gallic acid
Synergistic Combinations
Published research
Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.
Other clinical studies and reviews10
- 2025. Recent developments in lignocellulosic Areca catechu-based biocomposites and their potential industrial applications: A reviewInternational journal of biological macromolecules. PMID 40834951 · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.146867
- 2025. Impact of Areca Catechu Kombucha on Inflammatory Markers and Gut Microbiota - a ReviewMedical archives (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina). PMID 41282040 · doi:10.5455/medarh.2025.79.411-416
- 2024. Biological Effects and Biomedical Applications of Areca Nut and Its ExtractPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 38399443 · doi:10.3390/ph17020228
- 2021. Is it safe to consume traditional medicinal plants during pregnancy?Phytotherapy research : PTR. PMID 33164294 · doi:10.1002/ptr.6935
- 2020. Areca catechu-From farm to food and biomedical applicationsPhytotherapy research : PTR. PMID 32159263 · doi:10.1002/ptr.6665
- 2019. DARK Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: ArecolineACS chemical neuroscience. PMID 30664352 · doi:10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00711
- 2015. Areca catechu L. (Arecaceae): a review of its traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicologyJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 25681543 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.010
- 2012. Areca Nut PMID 37043595
- 2000. Herb-drug interactionsLancet (London, England). PMID 10675182 · doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(99)06457-0
- 1998. Betel: consumption and consequencesJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology. PMID 9448210 · doi:10.1016/s0190-9622(98)70543-2
Laboratory and animal studies2
- 2023. Phytohormones and candidate genes synergistically regulate fruitlet abscission in Areca catechu LBMC plant biology. PMID 37919647 · doi:10.1186/s12870-023-04562-8
- 2023. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis revealed the flavonoid biosynthesis and regulation in Areca catechuPhytochemical analysis : PCA. PMID 36813748 · doi:10.1002/pca.3216
Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.
Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.
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