Botanical Name: Piper Longum
Family Name: Piperaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Piperales
Family: Piperaceae
Genus: Piper
Species: P. longum
Popular Names: Indian Long Pepper, Indonesian Long Pepper, Dried Catkins, Pippali, Pipal, Tippli, Pihal, Javanese Long Pepper
Parts Used: Fruit, Root and Stem
Habitat: Mostly deciduous to evergreen forests
Description
Long pepper is a slender aromatic climber, with a large perennial woody root and jointed stems thickening at the nodes. The dark, dentate leaves are ovate and heart-shaped, about 2 to 3 inches in length, with broad rounded lobes at the base. The flowers are monoceous and male and female flowers are borne on different plants. The fruits are ovoid, yellowish-orange, minute, and drupe around 1 inch in diameter. The spikes are red when ripe and turn to black on drying. The plant bears flowers in rains and fruits in early winters. The herb is cultivated in Assam, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Asian regions. Long pepper is also known as pipal and pipar in Hindi, hippali in Kannada, kandanthippili in Tamil, pippali rasayana, magadhi, kana and ushana in Sanskrit, pippal in Gujarati and pepe di Marisa in Italian.
Plant Chemicals
(+)- volatile oil, resin, piperine, piperlongumine, piplasterol, pipperin, pippalartin, piplartine, sylvatin, sesamin, diaeudesmin, piperlonguminine, piperlingumine, pipermonaline, piperundecalidine, brachyamide A, brachyamide B, brachystine, sterols, glycosides.
Uses and Benefits of Long Pepper
- Long pepper helps expel out the mucus accumulated in the respiratory tract.
- It strengthens the nervous system, improves the gastro-intestinal condition and normalizes the peristaltic movements.
- The herb serves as a good digestive agent.
- Its oil and paste is applied on wounds and skin-related ailments.
- Long pepper helps suppress pain and reduce inflammation.
- The herb helps maintain the normalcy of the digestive tract and tones up the urinary tract.
- Its fruits are used for respiratory tract diseases like cough, bronchitis and asthma.
- It benefits in anorexia, indigestion, flatulence, abdominal pain, hyperacidity, piles, paralysis of the tongue, diarrhoea, cholera, chronic malaria, viral hepatitis, diseases of the spleen and tumours.
- It is given with amalaki, to treat anaemia.
- The decoction of the plant is used in sciatica and hemiplegia.
- The herb is mixed with honey to control hiccups.
- Long pepper is used as an aphrodisiac, since it boosts the reproductive system.
- It is used as a sedative in insomnia and epilepsy.
- The infusion of its root is used after childbirth, to induce the expulsion of the placenta.
