[Differentiation of Areca catechu L.: documents and historical relics analysis]

Areca catechu L. (Binglang) has a long medicinal history. Its young fruits were consumed in the Han Dynasty and were found to have the effect of 'lowering qi and aiding digestion', laying the foundation for its medicinal application.Its medicinal part was also its fruits based on the medical books such as Ming Yi Bie Lu in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The seeds of Areca catechu L. were named as Binglang-Zi or Binglang-Ren while the fruits were referred to as Binglang. Dafu-Binglang began to appear in medicinal records in the Tang Dynasty. The husk of Dafu-Binglang, named as Dafupi, became the mainstream medicinal commodity in the Song Dynasty. The medicinal part of the Binglang gradually shifted to mature seeds. The seeds of Binglang were taken as the medicinal part in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among their seeds, the slender and pointed one shaped like a chicken's heart were considered to be of ideal quality. Dafupi were mainly derived from the husk of Dafu-Binglang. Archaeological relics of Areca catechu L. unearthed from the Liao and Southern Song Dynasties included young fruits, mature fruits, and seeds. These relics confirmed the diversity of the medicinal components of Binglang in the Song and Liao periods. This paper clarifies the origin of Binglang and Dafupi as well as the changes in their medicinal use in diverse historical periods. It provides historical evidence for the consistency of prescriptions with various historical periods.