What are the medicinal and edible values of betel nut?

Areca catechu can be used as medicine, which is the first of the four wonders of southern medicine. Pharmacologically speaking, betel nut has a unique function of preventing epilepsy, and it is an auxiliary medicine fruit of doctors in past dynasties, and it is also known as "Xiluodan". The diseases of boils are generally related to irregular diet and qi stagnation, while betel nut has the effects of reducing qi, promoting digestion and resolving phlegm, so its medicinal properties have been widely concerned. Moreover, betel nut has insecticidal effect, and can be used for tapeworm disease, ascariasis, Jiang Ye's disease, abdominal pain caused by insect accumulation, etc.

There are many prescriptions containing betel nut in ancient medical classics, such as Qian Jin Fang, which records: "Treating white worms: 27 betel nuts. Take off the sieve. Draw two and a half liters of water, boil the skin first, take one and a half liters, remove the powder, take warm clothes, lie down frequently, and the insects will come out. Endless, more uniform, get a check. Stay without food and take it. " "Treatise on Total Diseases of Typhoid Fever" records: "Two betel nuts (simmer for a lifetime). Fine powder. Two glasses of wine, one cup of four fried, divided into two parts, and drank it warmly. " This can cure typhoid fever, sweating or fullness after the lower abdomen, or chest pain due to cold, syncope and tingling in the heart. In addition, according to the statistics of drug administration, there are more than 200 kinds of drugs containing betel nut in China.

It can be seen that betel nut can cure some diseases, which is really a rare medicine.

In addition, betel nut can also be used as cooking food. Hainan people like to drink betel nut flower stew soup, such as betel nut flower stew chicken. This dish not only has the effect of invigorating stomach and promoting digestion, but also lowers blood pressure. In Xiangtan, Hunan, there is a very popular dish called betel nut duck. There is a kind of betel nut quail in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, which tastes fresh, tender and delicious. In the south, it is also common to cook porridge with betel nuts, such as betel nut glutinous rice porridge and purslane betel nut porridge, which are all good foods. Accustomed to greasy food, it is also good to have a betel nut porridge to help digestion.

After being cooked, Areca catechu will produce a different and wonderful taste, which will make the dishes more delicious, meet people's taste buds, and add more splendor to China's food culture!