Family Arecaceae
Paminta
Piper nigrum
BLACK PEPPER
Hu-chia

Other scientific name  Other names 
Piper glabrispicum  Malisa (Tag.) 
  Paminta (Tag.) 
  Pamienta (Span.) 
  Pepper (Engl.) 
  Hu-chia (Chin.)

Botany
· Stout climber with smooth branches, 2-3.5 mm in diamiter.
· Leqaves are leathery, broadly ovate to oblongh-elliptic, 10-13 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, with pointed, rounded, or heart-shaped based, 7 plinerved, smooth on both surfaces. Rachis is hairy. Flowers are dioceous (having the male and female organs). Fruits are crowded, sessile, rounded and about 4 mm long, 3 mm wide, with 3-4 stigmas.

Distribution
Limited cultivation.

Properties and chemical constituents
The dried fruits furnish the black pepper of commerce. When the outer shell is removed, the product is white pepper.
The pepper contains an active resin (oleoresin) responsible for the known pungent taste and aromatic odor. Contains an alkaloid piperine, 5 - 9%; piperidine, 5%; mesocarp contains chavicine.
Considered acrid, rubifacient, stimulant, counterirritant, stomachic, carminative.

Parts utilized
Roots, leaves, seeds.

Uses
Folkloric
Decoction used as mouthwash for toothache; rubifacient in alopeicia and skin diseases.
Liniment used in rheumatism.
Infusion used as gargle for afflictions of the throat.
Juice of leaves boiled and applied externally for scabies.
Ointment mixed with lard used againsst Tinea capitis.
Mixed with brandy and anise, used as a febrifuge in malaria.
Used in shellfish and mushroom poisoning.
Mixed with honey and ginger, used by Malay as abortifacient.
Roots used as antihelmintic.
In Iraian traditional medicine, used to relieve menorrhagia in women.
In Ayurveda, paste of black pepper is used for boils, piles, rheumatic pains, headache, prolapsed rectum, toothaches. Pepper is given for dyspepsia, flatulence, diarrhea, cholea, cough, gonorrhea and malarial fever.
Others
Culinary: A kitchen essenntial; a condiment and spice since early times.

Studies
Spasmolytic / Anti-menorrhagia:
(1) There was spasmolytic effect of the black pepper extract probably through involved voltage dependent calcium channels and B-adrenoreceptors. (2) Spasmolytic Activity of Piper Nigrum Fruit Aqueous Extract on Rat Non-Pregnant Uterus: The results support the traditional use of black pepper for relief of menorrhagia.
Antispasmodic:
Antispasmodic Effect of P Nigrum Fruit Hot Water Extract on Rat Ileum: Study showed spasmolytic effect on rat ileum probably mediated via Ca+ influx. 
Analgesic:
Analgesic Activity Of Piper Nigrum Extract Per Se And Its Interaction With Diclofenac Sodium And Pentazocine In Albino Mice: Piper nigrum alone did not show any significant analgesic activity. However PN extract significantly increased the analgesic activity of diclofenac sodium and pentazocine.
Pharmacognostical Studies: Root distillation yielded 0.39% essential oi, with a total yield of 0.79% piperine from the root.
Antibacterial: Study yielded an isobutyleicosatrienamide, pellitorine, trachone, pergumidiene and isopiperolein B. All the isolated compounds were active against B subtilis, B spaericus, K aerogenes and Chromobacterium violaceum.
Larvicidal : Study demonstrated the potential of P nigrum extracts against larvae of Cx quinquefasciatus and its benefits for the development of new cost-effective and environmentally friendly larvicide for mosquito control.
Antiepileptic : Study demonstrated anticonvulsant activity of the water extract of P nigrum attributed to an antagonistic action at NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors.
Antioxidant : Study showed both water extract and ethanol extract exhibited strong total antioxidant activity


Availability
Wild-crafted.
 


Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Spasmolytic Activity of Piper Nigrum Fruit Aqueous Extract on Rat Non-Pregnant Uterus / Iranian Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics / 6:35-40, 2007
(2)
Antispasmodic Effect of P Nigrum Fruit Hot Water Extract on Rat Ileum / Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences / 2008
(3)
CRC Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants / L D Kapoor
(4)
Analgesic Activity Of Piper Nigrum Extract Per Se And Its Interaction With Diclofenac Sodium And Pentazocine In Albino Mice / S Pooja et al / Internet Journal of Pharmacology / ISSN: 1531-2976
(5)
PHARMACOGNOSTICAL STUDIES ON THE ROOTS OF PIPER NIGRUM L. III: DETERMINATION OF ESSENTIAL OIL AND PIPERIN / S Hu et al / ISHS Acta Horticulturae 426: International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
(6)
Antibacterial constituents from the berries of Piper nigrum / S.Venkat Reddy et al / Phytomedicine, Volume 11, Issue 7, Pages 697-700
(7)
Larvicidal effects of crude extracts of dried ripened fruits of Piper nigrum against Culex quinquefasciatus larval instars / K Vasudevan et al / J VECTOR BORNE DIS 46, JUNE 2009
(8)
Effects of Piper nigrum L. on epileptiform activity in cortical wedges prepared from DBA/2 mice / Ruo Qi Hu and J A Davies / Phytotherapy Research • Volume 11 Issue 3, Pages 222 - 225
(9)
The antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of black pepper (Piper nigrum) seeds / Ilhami Gulcin / Summary International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition • 2005, Vol. 56, No. 7, Pages 491-499 / DOI 10.1080/09637480500450248


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