Piper longum L.

Family : Piperaceae

Synonym(s) : Chavica roxburghii Miquel.

English Name : Indian Long Pepper

Origin : North East India

Description

Piper longum is a slender aromatic climber with perennial woody roots. The stems are jointed; the leaves, ovate and cordate with broad rounded lobes at the base, entire and glabrous; the spikes, cylindrical, male spikes larger and slender; the fruits, ovoid and yellowish orange.

Habitat

Warmer areas of India; the Philippines, Ceylon, Timor and Java.

Parts Used : Root, fruit, plant and its essential oil

Herb Effects

Carminative (fruit), stimulant, diuretic, lowers blood pressure and reduces fever (root), analgesic (root and fruit), antimicrobial (essential oil), hypoglycemic and induces spasms (plant) antitubercular and hematinic.

Active Ingredients

Piperine, piperlonguminine, piperlongumine, piplartine, sesamin, N-isobutyldeca-trans-2-trans-4-dienamide and an essential oil.

Medicinal Use
In rheumatism, inflammation, diarrhea, as a carminative and for disorders of the respiratory tract, such as asthma (fruit); as a stimulant and diuretic (root); increasing the secretion of gastric juices and as an analgesic (root and fruit); as a tonic.

Dosage

3 to 6 decigrams (5 to 10 grains).
Decoction: from long pepper and Adhatoda vasica leaves is given two to three times daily (cough).

Reference

1. Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.
2. Sharma, Classical Uses of Medicinal Plants.
3. Uniyal et al., Medicinal Flora of Garhwal Himalayas.