Introduction to betel nut and its efficacy and indications

I don’t know how much you know about betel nut. Let me take you to learn some knowledge about this fruit.

[Warning] Betel nut is a Class 1 carcinogen on the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer list of carcinogens. Chewing betel nut can increase the risk of oral cancer.

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It is cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. The trunk is unbranched and up to 12 to 15 meters high. Betel nut is the seed of the Areca palm of the palm family (Palmae). Betel leaves are the leaves of Piper betle of the Piperaceae family (Piperaceae). The betel nut fruit is slightly smaller than an egg, with a fibrous peel and one seed, the betel nut. The endosperm is hard with gray-brown spots. The fruit is harvested before it fully matures from August to November, peeled, boiled, sliced ​​into thin slices and dried. It is dark brown or black when dried. Betel nut is the raw material for inferior catechu, the main alkaloid of which is arecoline, which is used as an anthelmintic by veterinarians. There is also a movie with the same name, "Betel Nut".

Explanation

When the betel nut tree is first born, it grows straight up, with no branches, and the leaves on the top are like banana leaves. In March, the leaves protrude a chamber, split open by themselves, and produce hundreds of ears, as big as peaches and plums. Thorns grow under the ears to protect the fruits.

Collection and processing of betel nut

It matures in May, the skin is peeled, the flesh is boiled and dried. People in Lingnan eat betel nut as fruit, saying that the soil in the south is damp and eating it is ineffective in curing malaria. Betel nut tastes bitter when eaten raw, but it tastes smooth and sweet when chewed with Fuliu vine and clam ash.

Flavor

It tastes bitter, pungent, astringent, moist in nature and non-toxic.

The efficacy and treatment of betel nut

It is mainly used to digest food and expel water, kill intestinal parasites, corpseworms, and inch-long white worms; remove dampness, unblock joints, benefit the testicles, relieve restlessness, and break up abdominal lumps; it can also treat athlete's foot, edema, chest pain, dysentery, abdominal distension and pain, inability to urinate or defecate, phlegm and shortness of breath, treat malignant malaria, and resist malaria.

Inventions and legends

Li Shizhen said: When eating betel nut raw, it must be chewed together with Fuliu vine and clam ash. It is commonly known as "Betel nut depends on Fuliu for life". That is to say, betel nut can damage the true qi and should not be eaten too much. According to Luo Dajing's "Helin Yulu", people in Lingnan use betel nut instead of tea to prevent malaria. It has four functions: one is to wake up and make people drunk. Soon after eating, they will feel dizzy and their cheeks will turn red, as if they have drunk alcohol.

Additional prescription

To treat abdominal pain caused by roundworms: use 100 grams of betel nut and two cups of wine, boil one cup and take it twice. To treat sagging waist: grind betel nut into powder and take 5 grams with wine. [1]