What is betel nut? What's the taste of betel nut?

In fact, many areca nuts have been eaten, but do you know how areca nuts are made? What does betel nut look like in your image? Is it black, like a piece of wood, just wrapped in a compressed vacuum plastic bag? In fact, this is not the true face of betel nut. What you see is the processed betel nut. Let's see what betel nut is.

1. What is betel nut?

Betel nut is cultivated in China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Areca catechu is the seed of Areca catechu. Areca catechu leaves are leaves of Areca catechu leaves of Zanthoxylum family. Betel nut is slightly smaller than an egg, with fibrous skin and seeds, that is, betel nut. The endosperm is hard with gray-brown spots. From August to165438+1October, the fruit is harvested before it is fully ripe, peeled, cooked, sliced and dried in the sun, and it is dark brown or black after drying. When chewing, you can wrap it in leaves.

The stem of Areca catechu is erect, tree-shaped, 10 meters high, up to 33 meters, with obvious annular leaf scars. The leaves are clustered at the top of the stem, with a length of 1.3-2 m, numerous pinna, hairless on both sides, long and narrow, lanceolate, 30-60 cm long and 2.5-4 cm wide. The upper part of the feather is closed together, and the top is irregularly toothed. Monoecious, the inflorescence is multi-branched, the inflorescence axis is thick and flat, the branches are tortuous, the length is 25-30 cm, the upper part is slender, the male flowers 1 row or 2 rows are planted, and the female flowers are solitary at the base of the branches.

Areca catechu was originally one of the important medicinal plants, and some ethnic minorities in the south also used fruit as their chewing hobby. It is one of the four southern medicines in China (the other three are Alpinia oxyphylla, Amomum villosum and Morinda officinalis). It contains a variety of nutrients and beneficial substances needed by human body, and has the effects of promoting digestion, eliminating phlegm, treating malaria and killing insects. It is the medicine fruit of doctors in past dynasties. Cut open boiled water and drink it to drive ascaris.

Areca nut contains concentrated tannins (proanthocyanidins), which has not been proved to have anti-aging "free radicals" effect. Chewing fruit is slightly addictive, and the extract has been proved to have antidepressant (antidepressant) effect. You will blush and get drunk after eating betel nut. Su Dongpo wrote poems such as "Two blushing tides add charm, who knows that you are drunk with betel nuts" and "Dark fragrance makes people blush with jasmine, and red tides make your cheeks drunk with betel nuts". Arecoline has been used to treat parasites, but it is carcinogenic (oral cancer).

Betel nut mainly chews its taste, just like chewing gum. The juice and flavor were chewed up and spit out. Taste sweet and sour, a bit like the taste of plum, but not the same. In short, many people like to eat it, and some even become addicted.

2. Processing method of betel nut

Yu Lang 1

Dry the ripe fruit in the sun for 1 ~ 2 days, then put it in an oven and slowly dry it with dry wood, take it out for about 7 ~ 10 days to be cooled, break the fruit to get jade, and dry it in the sun for 1 ~ 2 days. Ordinary 100 kg of fresh fruit can be processed into 17 ~ 19 kg of Yu Lang.

2. Dry.

Remove the branches from the olive, then put the fruit in a pot and add water to boil for about 30 minutes, take it out and dry it, then bake it with slow fire, fry it once every two to three days and turn it twice. After ten days, insert the wooden stick directly into the bottom. If it is very easy to insert, the bottom is dry. At this time, it was Yu Lang Wolf who brought it out. Baking 20-25kg requires100g of fresh fruit.

3, big belly skin

Cut the ripe fruit in half, peel it off, dry it in the sun, and dry it loosely.

3, the efficacy of betel nut

Semen arecae can be used as medicine, which has the effects of killing insects, breaking accumulation, lowering qi and promoting blood circulation. It is one of the four famous southern medicines in China. Indications: Insect accumulation, food stagnation, qi stagnation, dysentery, snail drive, external treatment of glaucoma, chewing and eating have exciting effects.

Areca nut contains many nutrients and beneficial substances needed by human body, such as fat, areca oil, alkaloids, catechins, choline and so on. Areca catechu has a unique function of preventing epilepsy, and it is the medicine fruit of doctors in past dynasties, also known as "Xiluodan". Because boils are generally related to irregular diet and qi stagnation, betel nut has been widely concerned for its medicinal properties because it can reduce qi, promote digestion and resolve phlegm.

Betel nut can be eaten and chewed with salt water. It is normal for the first chewer to have a red face and chest tightness.

Areca nut itself is carcinogenic. In August 2003, the International Center for Research on Cancer (IARC) published the monograph "Areca nut itself is the first carcinogen", that is, Areca nut is carcinogenic even without additives.

Excessive arecoline can cause salivation, vomiting, diuresis, drowsiness and convulsion, even chest tightness, sweating, dizziness and shock, which should not be swallowed. If it is caused by oral administration, you can gastric lavage with potassium permanganate solution and inject atropine.

Betel nut tastes bitter; Xin; Sexual temperature.

Back to the stomach; Large intestine meridian

Can repel insects; Elimination; Xia Qi; Running water; Stop malaria. Insect accumulation; Stagnation of food; Abdominal pain; Severe diarrhea; Beriberi; Edema; Malaria.

For children with abdominal pain caused by insects, Areca catechu can be used in the same amount as Eriocheir sinensis and Neem root. Areca nut is used together with Changshan and Tsaoko in cases of frequent malaria caused by cold, dampness and phlegm. For those with emotional disorder, dyspnea due to qi stagnation, chest tightness and dyspnea, and loss of appetite, Areca catechu can be studied together with Aquilaria Resinatum, Linderae Radix and Ginseng Radix. For patients with abdominal pain and indigestion caused by insects, betel nut can be combined with medicated leaven, malt and gentleman. Areca catechu can be combined with Notopterygium Rhizoma, Alismatis Rhizoma and Phytolacca acinosa.