2. Areca catechu is native to Malaysia, and China is mainly distributed in tropical areas such as Yunnan, Hainan and Taiwan Province. Widely cultivated in tropical Asia. Areca nut is an important Chinese herbal medicine, and some ethnic minorities in the south still use it as a chewing hobby.
Third, the value:
1, nutritional value:
Areca nut contains many nutrients and beneficial substances needed by human body. [7] The main components of areca nut are 3 1. 1% phenol, 18.7% polysaccharide, 14.0% fat, 10.8% crude fiber and 9.9% moisture. Betel nut also contains more than 20 kinds of trace elements, of which 1 1 is an essential trace element for human body. Areca seed contains 0.3%-0.6% of total alkaloids, mainly arecoline, and a small amount of arecoline, norarecoline, isonorarecoline, arecoline and homoarecoline, all of which coexist with tannic acid. There are also dimers, trimers and tetramers of tannin, fat, mannitol, galactose, sucrose, catechin, epicatechin, colorless anthocyanin, areca catechu red pigment, saponin and proanthocyanidins. Fatty acids are lauric acid 19.5%, myristic acid 46.2%, palmitic acid 12.7%, stearic acid 1.6%, oleic acid 6.2%, linoleic acid 5.4%, lauric acid 0.3%, tetradecenoic acid 7.2%, and amino acids. Proline accounts for more than 15%.
2, medicinal value:
According to the drug supervision department, there are currently 225 kinds of drugs containing betel nut in China. Generally speaking, betel nut has the efficacy of "killing insects and breaking accumulation, reducing qi and stagnation, promoting diuresis and eliminating dampness", and has been used to treat parasitic infections such as tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms and ginger worms. Simo Decoction, which consists of areca nut, linderae root, ginseng and agarwood, is mainly used to treat "seven emotions against qi, shortness of breath in the morning, making people stop eating and stuffy food". There is a folk tradition that babies take Simotang one week after birth. It is said that it is good for the child's stomach, and it won't make trouble in the future.
3. Economic value:
The economic value of betel nut is very high, and about 1500-2000 plants can be planted per hectare. The yield of betel nut varieties in China is high, and the yield per plant can reach about 30kg, which has high economic value. People in Hainan, Taiwan Province, Hunan and other places in China have had the habit of eating betel nut since ancient times, and betel nut is the main chewing food. At present, the processing output value alone reaches 3.5 billion yuan, providing 200,000 jobs. The market potential is great. With the injection of science and technology, the types of deep-processed products are rich, the consumer market is gradually expanding, and the market prospect is good.