摘要Areca nut is the dried and mature seed of Areca catechu L.in the palm family,which is a medicinal and food resource.It tastes bitter,spicy and warm.It has the functions of killing insects,eliminating accumulation,activating qi and nourishing water.It contains alkaloids,polyphenols,polysaccharides,fatty acids,amino acids,flavonoids,triterpenes and steroids and other chemical components.It has a certain protective effect on the ner-vous system,and mainly includes:① Arecoline con-tained in areca nut can stimulate the sympathetic nerve and simultaneously stimulate M receptor and N receptor,which can be used for the treatment of Alzheimer's dis-ease.② Antidepressant effect.Arecoline can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier and stimulate nerve cell receptors,thus promoting the body's excitement.Total phenols increase the content of monoamine transmitters in the brain by decreasing the content of monoamine oxi-dase,thus exerting therapeutic effect on depression.③ Antioxidant effect.Polyphenols and flavonoids can reduce oxidative damage of nervous system,and their antioxidant capacity is related to their content.④ Anti-inflammatory effect.Areca polysaccharides can exert anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the production of NO in macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide.⑤Improved digestion.Areca nut water extract has a pro-moting effect on gastrointestinal motility,which is not only related to M choline receptor,but also probably related to α-adrenalin receptor.⑥Other effects.Such as anti-throm-bosis,anti-atherosclerosis,hypoglycemia,blood lipid reg-ulation,anti-tumor,anti-allergy,bacteriostasis,etc.This review summarized the chemical composition and phar-macological action of Areca catechu in recent years.It was found that the mechanism of action of Areca cate-chu L.is still unclear and further research is needed to provide basis for scientific utilization of Areca catechu.