Although the flesh of Hodgsonia fruit is inedible and considered worthless, the large, oil-rich seeds are an important source of food.

The kernels are occasionally eaten raw;[3] they are slightly bitter, possibly due to an unidentified alkaloid or glucoside, but "perfectly safe" to eat.

The Karbi Community of North East India cultivate it in their backyard gardens and consume it as a side dish during a meal.

[5] In Sarawak, Hodgsonia oil is used to anoint the bodies of mothers after childbirth; it also forms the base of embrocations carrying ashes from the leaves of coconut palm and Kaempferia.

"Kepayang" might mean Pangium edule, the "football fruit" tree whose aril is edible but whose large seeds are so laden with hydrocyanic acid that they are used as a powerful arrow poison.