The Taiwanese government has responded by providing free programs aimed at convincing people to quit Betel Nuts, as well as offering incentives to Betel Nut farmers to cut down their Betel palms and grow other crops. Found across Asia, these nuts are harvested from the Areca palm and are chewed for their warming glow and stimulating properties. Dangerous combination 
 
 Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption Regular betel nut chewers stand out from the crowd with their red-stained lips and teeth 
 
 The betel nut is a key part of many Asian cultures and can be consumed dried, fresh or wrapped up in a package known as a quid. Such is its effectiveness, that alongside nicotine, alcohol and caffeine, betel nuts are believed to be one of the most popular mind-altering substances in the world. "About half of the men here still don't know that betel nuts can cause oral cancer," says Prof Hahn Liang-jiunn, an oral cancer specialist at the National Taiwan University Hospital.
– Nicotine. Caffeine. Betel nuts. You may never have heard of them, but nuts from the Areca palm are hugely popular as a chewable stimulant: Almost a tenth of the global population enjoys them, the BBC reports. A millennia-old tradition, they're the world's fourth-most-popular psychoactive substance, Healthline adds. Their effect is similar to that of drinking six cups of coffee, and many workers engaged in lengthy physical tasks chew them to maintain alertness. Trouble is, they're incredibly dangerous. Potentially leading to oral cancer and terrible mouth lesions, they're likely responsible for tens of thousands of early deaths, the BBC notes. In Taiwan, about 5,400 men receive oral cancer diagnoses each year; as many as 90% of them are betel nut chewers. The situation is only made worse by the way betel nuts are often packaged: in what are called quids, which can be made using known carcinogens like tobacco and slaked lime. The latter can generate small abrasions in the mouth that may help the carcinogens get into the body. Despite the dangers, betel nuts are called "Taiwan's chewing gum," and about half the country's men aren't aware of the cancer issue, an expert says—even as people like Qiu Zhen-huang develop holes in their cheeks. Decades after he quit the stuff, he ended up with a golf ball-sized tumor. The FDA doesn't consider betel nuts safe, Healthline notes, and in recent years, Taiwan has been fighting their use—though it remains legal, Shanghaiist reports. Free screenings and other programs helped cut men's chewing rates in half two years ago, the BBC notes. (As for smoking: Keep doing it, and there's a 67% chance you'll die from it, a study finds.)