This product is the dried pericarp of the Areca Seed (Areca catechu L.), a plant of the Windmill Palm family, also known as Areca Seed coat. It is mainly produced in Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other regions. The immature fruits are harvested from winter to the following spring, boiled, dried, longitudinally split into two halves, and the pericarp is peeled off, commonly referred to as "Areca Peel". From late spring to early autumn, mature fruits are harvested, boiled, dried, the pericarp is peeled off, loosened, and sun-dried, commonly referred to as "Da Fu Mao", used raw.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid; slightly warm. act on spleen, stomach, large intestine and small intestine channels.

• Kaibao Bencao: "Slightly warm, nontoxic."
• Gangmu: "Acrid, slightly warm, nontoxic."
• Leigong Paozhi Yaoxing Jie: "act on lung and spleen channels."
• Yaopin Huayi: "act on spleen, lung, stomach and large/small intestines channels."

bubble_chart Efficacy

Lowering qi, soothing the middle, promoting water circulation, and reducing swelling.

bubble_chart Indications

For dampness obstruction and qi stagnation, chest and abdominal distension and fullness, stuffiness, difficulty in defecation, edema, beriberi, and difficulty in urination.

1. For gastrointestinal qi stagnation, epigastric and abdominal distension and fullness, stuffiness, and difficulty in defecation. This product is pungent and can disperse, mainly entering the spleen and stomach meridians, capable of moving qi and removing food stagnation, serving as a quick remedy for relieving middle and benefiting qi. It treats food accumulation and qi stagnation causing epigastric and abdominal stuffiness and distension, belching, acid regurgitation, severe constipation, or diarrhea with difficulty, and can be used in combination with hawthorn fruit, Germinated Barley, Immature Orange Fruit, etc. If treating dampness obstruction and qi stagnation causing epigastric and abdominal distension and fullness, it can be used with Patchouli, Dried Tangerine Peel, Magnolia Bark, etc.
2. For edema, distension and fullness, beriberi with swelling, and difficulty in urination. This product has a pungent taste, capable of opening and ventilating lung qi to promote water circulation and reduce swelling. It treats external overflow of water-dampness, skin edema, and difficulty in urination, and can be used with tuckahoe peel, Acanthopanax Bark, etc., such as Five-Peel Decoction (Complete Book of Life-Saving for Measles); if treating beriberi with swelling and pain, and obstruction of urination and defecation, it can be used with White Mulberry Root-Bark, Akebia Stem, Pharbitis Seed, etc.

bubble_chart Documentation

• Rihuazi Bencao: Relieves all types of qi, stops cholera, unblocks the large and small intestines, strengthens the spleen, stimulates appetite, and regulates the middle.
• Kaibao Bencao: Treats cold and hot qi attacking the heart and abdomen, congestion and toxicity in the large intestine, phlegm obstruction, and vinegar heart. It is beneficial to decoct with ginger and salt and add qi-regulating herbs.
• Gangmu: Reduces rebellious qi, eliminates water qi and swelling in the skin and muscles, relieves foot qi congestion and rebellion, miasmic malaria stuffiness and fullness, and fetal qi disease morning sickness with distension and oppression.
• Bencao Zaixin: Drains the lungs, harmonizes stomach qi, drains dampness, chases wind, widens the intestines, reduces swelling, regulates waist and foot qi, and treats malaria, diarrhea, and dysentery.

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

For internal use: decoct in water, 5-10g; or take in pill or powder form. For external use: apply an appropriate amount, decoct in water for washing; or grind into powder and apply topically.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Those with weak constitution should use with caution.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product has the effect of stimulating gastrointestinal smooth muscle and promoting gastrointestinal motility. Areca Peel decoction can increase the tension of isolated rabbit intestinal tubes and reduce the amplitude of contraction, an effect that can be antagonized by atropine. It also promotes fibrinolytic activity.

bubble_chart Selected Prescriptions

• To treat beriberi, swelling and fullness, abdominal distension and fullness, and constipation: Take one liang of Areca Peel (chopped), one liang of Areca Seed, half a liang of Aucklandia Root, two liang of Akebia Stem (chopped), one liang of Bush Cherry Seed (soaked in hot water to remove the skin, slightly fried), two liang of Mulberry Root Bark (chopped), and two liang of Pharbitis Seed (slightly fried). Grind and sieve the above ingredients into a powder. Take four qian each time, add half a portion of Fresh Ginger Rhizome and two to seven inches of Fistular Onion Stalk to a medium bowl of water, and boil until reduced to six parts. Strain and take warm at any time, until relief is achieved. (Shenghui Fang)
• To treat stagnation of spleen qi in men and women, invasion of wind-dampness, dampness in the spleen meridian, and obstruction of qi flow, leading to facial puffiness, swelling of limbs, abdominal distension, abnormal rising of qi with rapid breathing, drum-like distension of the abdomen and flanks, discomfort around the navel, difficulty in eating, and fluctuating symptoms with exertion and fatigue: Take equal parts of Acanthopanax Bark, Chinese Wolfberry Root-bark, ginger peel, Areca Peel, and tuckahoe peel. Grind into a crude powder. Take three qian each time, add to one and a half bowls of water, boil until reduced to eight parts, strain, and take warm at any time. Avoid raw, cold, greasy, and hard foods. (Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang Five-Peel Powder)
• To treat fistula disease and foul sores: Boil Areca Peel in water and use the decoction to wash the affected area. (Renzhai Zhizhi Fang)