This product is the mature seed of the evergreen tree Areca catechu (Areca catechu L.) from the Windmill Palm family. It is primarily produced in Hainan Island, Fujian, Yunnan, Guangxi, Taiwan, and other regions. The mature fruits are harvested from late spring to early autumn, boiled in water, dried, peeled to extract the seeds, and then sun-dried. It is used by soaking and slicing or crushing.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Bitter and acrid, warm. act on stomach and large intestine channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Expelling parasites and relieving stagnation, moving qi and promoting urination.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for various intestinal parasitic diseases. This product has a killing effect on tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, pinworms, and fasciolopsis, among others. It is particularly effective against tapeworm syndromes/patterns, often used alone or in combination with cushaw seed for efficacy. For treating roundworm and pinworm syndromes/patterns, it is often used with Quisqualis Fruit and Sichuan Chinaberry Bark; for treating fasciolopsis, it can be combined with Smoked Plum and Liquorice Root in a combination of medicinals. Recent clinical reports indicate that Areca Seed combined with cushaw seed is effective in treating tapeworm disease, and the decoction of Areca Seed is effective in treating intestinal flagellosis. Areca Seed combined with Pharbitis Seed in tablet form has shown good efficacy in treating teniasis.
2. Used for food accumulation and qi stagnation, and for heavy sensation after diarrhea. Areca Seed, with its bitter taste, enters the stomach and intestines, and is effective in moving qi in the gastrointestinal tract, eliminating accumulation, and relieving stagnation. It is therefore used to treat food accumulation, qi stagnation, abdominal distension, fullness, constipation, and dysentery with tenesmus. It is often used with Aucklandia Root, green tangerine peel, and Rhubarb Rhizoma, as in Aucklandia and Areca Pill.
3. Used for edema and painful swelling of beriberi. This product also has the function of moving qi and promoting diuresis. For treating edema in excess syndromes/patterns with obstructed urination and defecation, it is often combined with Pokeberry Root, Alisma, and Akebia Stem in a combination of medicinals, adding Dredging and Channelling Decoction; for treating painful swelling of beriberi due to cold-dampness, it is often combined with Floweringqince Fruit, Evodia Fruit, and tangerine peel in a combination of medicinals, as in Cock Crow Powder.
4. Additionally, it is used to treat persistent malaria with alternating chills and fever. Areca Seed has the effect of preventing malaria attacks and is often used with Dichroa and Caoguo, as in Malaria-Truncating Seven-Treasure Decoction.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bielu: "Primarily eliminates grain stagnation, expels water, removes phlegm accumulation, kills three types of worms and latent corpses, treats tapeworm."
2. Yaoxing Lun: "Suitable for regulating the five zang-organs and six fu-organs, breaking up hard masses and fullness, reducing edema, treating heart pain, and wind-blood abdominal masses."
3. Bencao Gangmu: "Treats diarrhea with tenesmus, various pains in the heart and abdomen, qi constipation in urination and defecation, and urgent phlegm panting. Cures various types of malaria and wards off pestilent qi."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 6-15g. For single use to expel and kill tapeworms and fasciolopsis, 60-120g can be used.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Contraindicated for those with spleen deficiency and loose stools or qi deficiency and sinking.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains alkaloids such as Areca Seed alkaloid, Areca Seed sub-alkaloid, and demethylated Areca Seed alkaloid, as well as condensed tannins, fatty oils, Areca Seed red pigment, starch, resin, etc.

Areca Seed alkaloid has a strong anthelmintic effect on Taenia solium; it can paralyze the entire worm body; for Taenia saginata, it can only paralyze the head and immature segments. It also has anthelmintic and killing effects on pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and Fasciolopsis buski, and has a certain preventive effect on schistosome infection. The aqueous extract has inhibitory effects on skin fungi and influenza virus. Areca Seed alkaloid has a cholinergic effect, stimulating cholinergic receptors, promoting saliva and sweat gland secretion, increasing intestinal peristalsis, slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and causing pupil constriction when applied to the eyes.