The betel nut root has a special shape, half submerged and half floating in the soil, so it is grown as bonsai, ornamental plant, and as medicine to treat insomnia and some other diseases.
According to Dr. Nguyen Tran Nhu Thuy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City - Branch 3, betel nut is a climbing plant with heart-shaped leaves, a very thin stem compared to the root, the plant is usually about 10-20 m long.
The base of the stem swells into a tuber, usually spherical, lying half submerged in rock crevices or submerged in the soil. The tuber size varies and can weigh up to several dozen kilograms, depending on the species. Because the tuber is large, the plant is also called mugwort.
The part used as medicine is the tuber of the betel plant. The tuber is the swollen base of the stem. The tuber is harvested year-round, but if harvested from fall to winter, the active ingredients in the tuber will be of better quality.
The betel root needs to go through a preparation process before it can be used, usually by scraping off the black outer skin or slicing it into pieces before pressing to extract the essence or soaking it in alcohol or drying it, or grinding it into powder.
According to modern medicine, the chemical composition of the betel root contains mainly alkaloids such as rotundin, cycleanin, stepharin, roemerin. Rotundin has a sedative, sleep-inducing, and analgesic effect, cycleanin helps fight inflammation, roemerin causes local anesthesia, and stepharin is an anti-cholinesterase agent. Therefore, medicinal preparations from the betel root have the effect of maintaining a state of relaxation, sedation, and treating insomnia.
In traditional medicine, the betel tree has a bitter-sweet taste, sedative, lung-tonifying, and sedative effects, and can overcome weakness, insomnia, bone-chilling, dizziness, and asthma. It is often combined with other herbs at a dosage of 4-12 g, in decoction or powder form.
Betel nut. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Remedy for insomnia from betel nut
Recipe 1: 12g each of betel root, passion flower, acacia leaves, 6g of lotus seed heart, 6g of licorice. Boil and drink, 1 dose per day.
Recipe 2: Lotus seeds, longan, sour apple seeds (roasted), each 10-15g, betel root 8g, acacia leaves 12g. Boil and drink, 1 dose per day, drink during the day and 30 minutes before bed.
Recipe 3: Dried betel root and 40-degree white wine in a ratio of 1:5 (1 kg of dried root and 5 liters of wine). Soak for about 4 weeks before use, drink 2-3 times a day, about 20-30 ml each time.
Due to its sedative and sleep-inducing properties, caution should be exercised when driving, working at heights or doing work involving machinery that requires alertness.
The active ingredient roemerin in the root of the betel nut, if used in excess, will numb the mucous membranes and reduce the heart rate. If the patient has a history of cardiovascular events or arrhythmias, they need to be very careful. The root of the betel nut also contains a small amount of toxins, so patients should not use it without the direction of a specialist.
Only use 30g of betel nut per day, more than 30g can cause poisoning, affecting health. Elderly people with chronic insomnia, pregnant women or breastfeeding women... also need to be careful.
Doctor Thuy said that currently, there are many products on the market that contain ingredients extracted from the root of the betel nut. The usual dose is 30-60 mg in pill form. Overdosing on these products can cause poisoning. Mild cases can cause drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, severe cases can cause stimulation, restlessness, chest tightness, palpitations, limp limbs, coma... Therefore, patients should read the instructions carefully or talk to medical staff before using.
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