Piper betle L.

English Name : Betel Vine

Family : Piperaceae

Origin : Malaysia

Description

A perennial dioecious creeper. Stems semi-woody, climbing by short, adventitious roots; leaves 5-20 cm long, broadly ovate, slightly cordate and often unequal at the base, shortly acuminate, acute, entire, with often an undulate margin, glabrous, yellowish or bright green, shining on both sides; petiole stout, 2.0-2.5 cm long; male spikes dense, cylindrical; female spikes 2.5-5.0 cm long, pendulous; fruits rarely produced, often sunk in the fleshy spike, forming nodule-like structures.

Parts Used : Root, leaf and essential oil

Herb Effects
Carminative, stimulant, antibacterial and inhibits tumor growth (leaf); anthelmintic, respiratory and cardiac depressant, alleviates spasms and antiseptic (essential oil); contraceptive (root); aphrodisiac and astringent.

Active Ingredients
Hentriacontane, beta and gamma-sitosterols, pentatriacontane and chavicol (leaf); eugenol, carvacrol, allyl catechol, cadinine, tannins, chavibetol and arakene.

Medicinal Use
Increasing the secretion of gastric juices (leaf); alleviating spasms and as an antiseptic (essential oil); abscesses, sores and cuts, asthma, bronchitis, cancer, catarrh, colic, cough, diphtheria, dysentery, earache and nose.

Dosage : Betel oil: 1 to 2 minims.

Reference