Areca palm - Areca catechu L, also called the areca nut palm or betel palm. This slim-trunked tree, growing straight, 10-30 m tall, 15-20 cm in diameter, unbranched with the former leaves off. Compound leaves grow gather at the end of the rod to form rosette stem. Midrib leaf-shaped tube, length 80 cm, petiole short. 1 to 1.8 m length of the leaf blade, leaf child has a height of 85 cm, width 5 cm, with the tip torn and toothed. Containers flowers about 75 cm long, with short stalks forked duplex. There are 1 female flowers at the base, topped many male flowers arranged in 2 rows stuck in the groove. Male flowers 4 mm long, white yellow, stamens 6. Female flowers about 1.5 cm long, green, will bear fruit one. The fruit breech elongated ovoid, 3.5 to 7 cm long, stringy fruit wall, the color red when ripe orange. Seeds one, shaped like a short cone with a rounded tip, base somewhat flat with a shallow indentation, 15-30 mm long, the outer surface brown to reddish brown.
The composition of the Areca palm - Areca catechu L:Chemical properties and pharmacological effects:
Seeds contain from 0.3 to 0.6% alkaloids, such as arecoline (C8 H13 NO2), arekolidine, arekain, guvakolin, guvasine and isoguvasine. It also contains tannins 15% red, 14% fat (palmitic, oleic, stearic, caproic, caprylic, lauric, myristic acid) resin. Fresh seeds contains approximately 50% more alkaloids, compared to seeds that have been processed. Arecoline: De-worming and efficacious as a sedative.