May 20th, 2009 
Von 
Betel-nut palm, areca-nut palm, betel palm, areca palm, penang palm, catechu palm.
Description:
Slender palm about 10m. tall. Stem erect, surmounted by a crown of pinnate leaves; petiole broadly expanded at the base. Inflorescence in spadix encased in a spathe; flowers yellowish-white in much-branched raceme, which bears both male and female flowers. Fruit ovoid; pericarp hard and fibrous; kernel (seed) brown.
Flowering period:
May – December.
Distribution:
Cultivated everywhere.
Parts used:
The pericarps and kernels are used. Over-ripe fruit is collected. The pericarps and kernels are taken separately and sun-dried or heat-dried.
Chemical composition:
The kernels yield tannin, catechin (70% in the young fruit, 15-20% in the over-ripe fruit), lipids consisting of laurin, olein and myristin; glucides 50-60%; alkaloids: arecoline, arecaidine, arecaine, guvacine and guvacoline.
Therapeutic uses:
The pericarp is effective in the treatment of flatulence, oedema, dysuria and hyperaemesis of pregnancy. Its decoction is prescribed in a dose of 6 to 12g per day. The kernel is used to treat diarrhoea, and dysentery in a daily dose of 0.5 to 4g. It is also a taenifuge. It is also said to cure malaria. Arecoline induces pupillary contraction and decreases ocular tension in glaucoma.
Source: Medicinal plants in Viet Nam (Institute of Materia Medica – HANOI – WHO/WPRO, 1990, 444 p.)
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