Climbing perennial plant Stems glabrous, rooting at the nodes. Leaves alternate, coriaceous, rounded at the base; apex pointed; recurved nerves prominent beneath.
Piper nigrum L.
Local names:
English names:
Black pepper, common pepper, white pepper.
Description:
Climbing perennial plant Stems glabrous, rooting at the nodes. Leaves alternate, coriaceous, rounded at the base; apex pointed; recurved nerves prominent beneath. Inflorescence in drooping spike of dioecious flowers, opposite to and shorter than the leaf. Berry globular, red when ripe, turning black after drying, 3-4 mm. in diameter, strongly scented and bitter to the taste.
Flowering period:
May - August.
Distribution:
Extensively cultivated in the southern part of Viet Nam.
Parts used:
The fruit, picked when fully ripe, is dried in the sun or in ovens. After drying, the pericarp may be removed (
Chemical composition:
The seeds contain alkaloids: pipeline, piperetine, chavicine and an essential oil, consisting of terpene, phellandrene, caryophyllene, piperonal-dihydrocarveol and caryophyllene oxide.
Therapeutic uses:
The berries, well known for their stomachic, anodyne and antibacterial properties, are prescribed for treating dyspepsia, vomiting, diarrhoea and colic resulting from cold. The average daily dose is 1 to 3g in the form of a decoction, powder or pills. The powdered berries, applied topically, cure toothache. They can also be used as an insecticide against clothes moths.