- Helminthiasis.
- Myopia.
- Salivation.
- Tapeworm.
Characteristics—The Betel-nut is in very common use in the East as a masticatory for
sweetening the breath and hardening the gums. It is also used as a source of catechu, but the true
catechu is an extract of Uncaria gambir of the Leguminosé¢. The chief medical use of the Areca
nut has been in helminthiasis in dogs; but it is not altogether without danger. Some animals to
which it was administered experienced in five minutes great difficulty of breathing, slight cough,
and fell down on one side, and some died. The dose given for this purpose is one grain to each
pound of the dog's weight. The Hydrobromate of Arecoline has been used to cause contraction of
the pupil. It acts more promptly and more energetically than Eserine, but its duration of action is
shorter. According to Ricapet it surpasses Pilocarpine as a salivatory. It arrests the heart's action
in diastole in poisonous doses, and in non-toxic doses increases the amplitude of the pulsations
without increasing their frequency. It promotes the contractibility of the intestines, and as a
teniafuge it requires no additional laxative. It should be given in pills coated with gelatin or
- keratin.
- According to F.
- Hobday (quoted in Amer.
- Hom.
- xxiv.
- 123), Tenaline is a much safer and
more certain anthelmintic than Arecoline. He advises a dose of one minim of the solution to the
pound-weight of the animal, either given pure or with a little water. It is not to be given
hypodermically.