This paper first reviews the identity of historical and contemporary users of the areca nut. It then considers the reasons given by users for indulging in areca consumption, drawing upon historical, ethnographic and experimental sources of evidence for the effects which users have sought to derive from it. Particularly important is the social context in which consumption occurs, and the social meanings attached to areca use and exchange. Finally, a possible evolutionary hypothesis is postulated to explain the origins of areca use as a form of behaviour indicating reproductive availability. However, diverse culturally explicit reasons underlie usage and what may once have been a sufficient rationale for consumption may no longer justify this pattern of behaviour.