Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has
evolved over thousands of years. TCM practitioners use various psychological
and/or physical approaches (such as acupuncture and tai chi) as well as herbal
products to address health problems. Areca nut is an important ingredient in
Traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine system believes that
areca nut has the effects of "killing parasites, breaking accumulation,
reducing qi and stagnation, and promoting hydration". Areca nut has been
used to treat tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, worms, ginger worms and other
parasitic infections.
"Compendium of Materia
Medica" records that areca nut has many effects such as "down edema,
joint joints, spleen tone, and heartache accumulation". Areca nut also has
the functions of treating glaucoma, increasing blood pressure, stopping
diarrhea and treating diarrhea, reducing inflammation and swelling, removing
phlegm and asthma, purging qi and water, and killing parasites.
Binglong (areca nut ) Pill is
frequently used for reinforcing vital energy. The combination of pumpkin seed
and areca is most widely used, which comes from the prescription of ‘Qu Tao
Tang’ (Cestode-expelling Decoction). The constituents of ‘Qu Tao Tang’
(Cestode-expelling Decoction) are very simple, 60–120 g fresh pumpkin seeds and
30–60 g areca. Areca is ground with a pestle, soaked for a few hours in 400 ml
of water, decocted to 100 ml, and filtered, and the debris of the decoction are
discarded. The treatment procedure consists of two steps: first, chewing up fresh
pumpkin seeds or taking the powder form of it ground in advance and then
drinking the decoction of areca 2 h later. Anhydrous sodium sulphate is used as
laxative along with this. The worm was quickly paralyzed from head to tail with
a mixture of betel nut and pumpkin seed water extract. Worm bodies would be
discharged along with diarrhoea 4–5 h later.
More than 31 different formulations are
being used for treating dysentery, abdominal distension, dyspepsia, parasitic
diseases and constipation etc. The raw areca and charred areca nuts are the
most common clinically used forms. The Charred areca nut is commonly prepared
by stir-baking to a yellowish colour, stir-baking to dark brown, or carbonizing
by stir-frying.
