Bing Lang - 槟榔 - Semen Arecae - Betel Nut

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Semen Arecae
Common English:	Areca Seeds Betel Nut

Category

Herbs that Expel Parasites (Anthelmintics)

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Acrid Bitter	Warm	Large Intestine Stomach	6-15g For tapeworms: 60-120g when used alone Tincture: 2-4ml

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Kills parasites	Kills a wide variety of Intestinal parasites including fasciolopsis, pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, threadworms and Blood flukes Best for tapeworms Drains downward to expel the bodies of dead parasites
Drains downward, Reduces accumulations, Regulates Qi, Unblocks the bowels	Food Stagnation and Qi Stagnation with abdominal distention, constipation or diarrhea with tenesmus
Promotes urination	Damp leg Qi and edema due to Excess
Treats malarial disorders	Malarial disorders
Relieves nausea	Nausea

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Sm. Cucurbitae Moschatae Nan Gua Zi Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang	Fr. Mume Wu Mei Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Fr. Carpesii He Shi Cx. Meliae Ku Lian Pi
Dislodges and expels tapeworms.	Fasciolopsiasis.	A variety of intestinal parasites.
Sm. Pharbitidis Qian Niu Zi	Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Per. Citri Reticulatae Viride Qing Pi	Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu Fr. Hordei Germinatus Mai Ya Fr. Amomi Sha Ren
Strongly moves Qi, resolve accumulations and breaks up Stagnation to promote the expulsion of parasite bodies and treats abdominal pain, bloating and constipation due to many types of intestinal parasites, but especially roundworms, tapeworms and hookworms.	Food Accumulation and Qi Stagnation.	Food Stagnation in patients with Spleen Deficiency marked by indigestion and abdominal fullness.
Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Or Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian	Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian	Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi Fr. Chaenomelis Mu Gua (Fol. Perillae) (Zi Su Ye) (Rx. Stephaniae Tetrandrae) (Han Fang Ji)
Damp-Heat dysenteric disorders with tenesmus.	Acute dysenteric disorders with abdominal pain and tenesmus.	Leg Qi.
Fr. Evodiae Wu Zhu Yu Fr. Chaenomelis Mu Gua	Rx. Phytolaccae Shang Lu Caulis Akebiae Mu Tong Rz. Alismatis Ze Xie	Fol. Perillae Zi Su Ye Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang
Cold-Damp Leg Qi with swelling and pain.	Edema due to Excess.	Wind-Damp Leg Qi.
Rx. Dichroae Chang Shan Fr. Tsaoko Cao Guo (Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis) (Hou Po)	Sm. Cucurbitae Moschatae Nan Gua Zi Fr. Quisqualis Shi Jun Zi Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang	Fr. Piperis Hu Jiao Cx. Meliae Ku Lian Pi Alumen Ming Fan
Malarial disorders in patients with Phlegm-Dampness.	Dislodges parasites.	Intestinal obstruction due to parasites.
Fr. Aurantii Zhi Ke Caulis Perillae Zi Su Geng Hb. Agastache Huo Xiang Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po	Sm. Descurainiae/Lepidii Ting Li Zi	Haematitum Dai Zhe Shi Flos Inulae Xuan Fu Hua Fr. Perillae Zi Su Zi Caulis Bambusae in Taeniam Zhu Ru Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia
Chest congestion.	Wheezing with Phlegm.	Belching and nausea.
Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang	Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po	Concha Ostreae Mu Li Sm. Raphani Lai Fu Zi Rz. Sparganii San Leng Rz. Curcumae E Zhu Rx. Curcumae Yu Jin
Abdominal distention with constipation.	Tenesmus.	Organomegaly, masses and cysts.
Poria Fu Ling Polyporus Zhu Ling Rz. Alismatis Ze Xie Exocarpium Benincasae Dong Gua Pi	Rx. Dichroae Chang Shan
Ascites.	Malaria.

Notes

1. Its downward-draining action helps carry the bodies of the parasites out.
2. Habitual use leads to reduced taste sensation, increased appetite, periodontal disease, discoloration of the lips and mouth and, in some cases, chronic diarrhea. (It has a narcotic effect and is chewed together with an alkaline substance).
3. It is helpful for gastrointestinal problems accompanied by edema and bloating.
4. It is frequently paired with Rx. Dichroae Chang Shan for malaria. Chang Shan has an anti malarial action but can cause vomiting and nausea; Bing Lang eases the nausea and vomiting, so patients are more willing to keep taking the herbs.
5. It acts on many kinds of accumulation: it disperses Qi Stagnation, moves Blood Stasis, transforms Phlegm, promotes the elimination of pathogenic water, reduces Food Stagnation, unblocks the stool and drives out parasites.
6. Research has shown that it inhibits cancer cell growth.
7. It is reported to release inhibited visceral energy, dissipate masses and hemostasis, and cure stomachache and edema.
8. A further source states that it expels abdominal masses, aids digestion to remove pathogenic Wind and Phlegm, kills parasites, sobers up the drunk, diminishes Phlegm Accumulation and cures constipation and dysuria.
9. Taken as a tea, it is used to prevent miasma.
10. Yet another source states that it dissipates Stasis and Stagnation, regulates the Stomach to ease pain, eases the Intestines to promote drainage and counteracts a rich, fatty diet.
11. It is also reported to activate the muscles to relieve pain.
12. It is reported to deactivate the polio virus, the herpes virus, the influenza virus and the rabies virus.
13. It can interrupt malaria as well.
14. Bing Lang and Sm. Cucurbitae Moschatae Nan Gua Zi both expel parasites well, and when combined to treat tapeworms, roundworms and other intestinal parasites, their effects are greatly increased. Bing Lang can strongly descend Qi, resolve accumulations, promote urination and reduce Food Stagnation and Phlegm, none of which Nan Gua Zi can do.
15. Bing Lang and Per. Arecae Da Fu Pi both descend Qi, promote the removal of pathogenic water and reduce edema. Da Fu Pi is light and acrid, descends Qi more gently and disperses both formed and formless Qi Stagnation; it also dredges and unblocks Excess Phlegm in the Stomach and Spleen. Bing Lang is heavy, bitter and acrid with a strongly sinking nature; it descends Qi forcefully, breaks up Qi Stagnation, drains formed Qi Stagnation, treats edematous swelling of the skin and kills parasites.
16. White Areca Bai Bing Lang is especially good at promoting urination and descending Qi, but its parasite-killing ability is weak.
17. Fresh Areca Xian Bing Lang resolves Food Stagnation and promotes the movement of Qi without harming Yin.
18. Dry-fried Areca Chao Bing Lang is a little less strong and better suited to weaker or older patients.
19. Scorched Areca Jiao Bing Lang mainly reduces and guides out to harmonize the Stomach Qi, and is typically used for Food Stagnation in the Middle Jiao.
20. Date Areca Zao Bing Lang is bitter and astringent; it can digest Food Stagnation, revive from drunkenness, unbind the chest and stop nausea, and its main use is Food Accumulation with Qi Stagnation, nausea and a stifling feeling in the chest and abdomen.