What acid is in betel nut?
                                
                                
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                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                Over 600 million people worldwide chew betel nuts, making it the fourth most commonly used psychoactive substance after alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. Contrary to a common misconception, the nut's primary psychoactive compound is not an acid but a potent alkaloid named arecoline, though other acidic compounds are also present.