Hung Yi-chang says that modern people crave tengjue, because--in the terminology of Chinese medicine--it helps dispel the excess huoqi (heat) that modern people suffer from. But aboriginal people only occasionally eat it, and sometimes just squeeze the juice out, applying the drops to a painful tooth for the analgesic effect.
鴻義章說，現代人火氣較大，對於能降火的藤心趨之若鶩，但是原住民只會偶爾食用，有時則將藤心壓搾出的汁液，滴在疼痛的牙齒上，有止痛的功效。