Areca catechu L.

Family name: Palmae/Arecaceae

Aboriginal name: Suneke (Paiwan)

Occurrence: Central, southern, and eastern Taiwan

Aboriginal methods of treatment:

Eye diseases

• Smash the immature fruit and collect its juice to use as eye drops

Contents:

Inside the fruit

• Arecoline, arecaidine, arecoline, guvacine, homoarecoline, arecared

Inside the endosperm

• Catechin, leucoanthocyanidin

Inside the seed

• Arecoline, arecaidine, guvacoline, guvacine, isoguvacine, arecolidine

Medicinal benefits:

• Expels pests, prevents bacterial infection, prevents illnesses, prevents cancer, lowers blood pressure, benefits acetylcholine receptors

Calamus quiquesetinervius Burret

Family name: Palmae/Arecaceae

Aboriginal name: Kowai, Quay (Paiwan), Kowarohu, Kowayuhu (Atayal), Wuhan (Bunun)

Occurrence: 300 to 1000 meters above sea level in forest regions in Taiwan

Contents:

• Leaves contain hydrotricine, tricin, naringenin
• Stem contains neolignans