Bing Lang
StarAreca catechu L.
☯ TCM Properties
Expels Parasites; Promotes Digestion and Resolves Food Stagnation; Moves Qi; Promotes Urination and Reduces Edema; Checks Malaria
Traditional Chinese Uses
Bing Lang (betel nut, areca seed) is a warm herb with strong downward-draining and parasite-expelling actions. It is the leading herb in Chinese medicine for intestinal parasites — including tapeworms, roundworms, and liver flukes — and its strong Qi-moving action relieves food stagnation, abdominal bloating, and constipation. Its draining property also reduces edema from Dampness. Given its potent action, it requires professional guidance.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Areca catechu is a slender, solitary, evergreen palm in the Arecaceae, probably native to the Philippines or insular Southeast Asia and now cultivated throughout tropical Asia, parts of East Africa and the western Pacific for its widely chewed seed, the betel or areca nut. Trees reach 15-25 m tall, with a straight, smooth, greenish to grey trunk 10-20 cm in diameter, conspicuously ringed by the scars of fallen leaf bases. A graceful crown of six to twelve large pinnate leaves up to 2 m long emerges from a smooth green crownshaft at the top of the trunk, each leaf with numerous closely set, linear, glossy green leaflets. Branched inflorescences emerge from below the crownshaft, bearing many small, fragrant, creamy-white male flowers above a few larger basal female flowers. The fruits are ovoid orange-yellow to scarlet drupes 5-7 cm long, each containing a single hard, reddish-brown seed.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| poultice | As needed | Daily | — | — | — |
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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