Long pepper — A wonderful medicinal plant

Medicinal plants have been employed as traditional treatments for a variety of human ailments, throughout the history to present day. The use of herbal extracts as a disease management alternative makes them one of the possible sources for the discovery of novel therapeutic agents with minimal or no side effects, compared to their chemical counterparts.

In the current scenario, there exists serious concern about the spread of bacteria and viruses that are more resistant to antibiotics. As their side effects and high cost are also major issues, there is a push for the creation of prevention and treatment options that are organic, safe, efficient, and affordable.  Many substances of plant origin have been utilized as medicines, either in their natural state or as partial synthetic.

One such plant is Long pepper (Piper longum Linn.) which is commonly known as Pippali or Thippali. This has been well-known for its therapeutic properties and its genus Piper (Family: Piperaceae), includes many economically important plants like Black pepper (Piper nigrum), Betel vine (P. betle), Assam thippali (P. chaba) etc. Mature spikes (fruits) and roots (piplamool) are widely used in many herbal formulations against various ailments. Long pepper has been reported to be used in more than 300 traditional medicinal preparations, as a good remedy for treating respiratory tract infections, menstrual pain, tuberculosis, gut pain etc. It is a major component of the famous ayurvedic triherbal formulation ‘Trikatu’, along with black pepper and dried ginger.

Long pepper promotes physical and mental health and also improves the defence mechanism of the body. According to the pharmacological profile, this plant demonstrates various properties like anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic properties, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, relief from respiratory problems and digestive aid. It also has antioxidant activity which neutralizes the harmful effects of excessive free radicals produced in the body. Major constituents of Long pepper include alkaloids viz., piperine, piperlongumine and piperlonguminine.

Mature and ripe spikes of this plant have been widely used as popular medicine to treat a number of diseases, as detailed below:

Piperine, the primary active ingredient of Long pepper, is believed to have hepatoprotective properties. In the Indian traditional medical system, powdered fruits and roots of Long pepper are given with boiled milk to cure liver conditions and jaundice. The hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of Long pepper extract support its therapeutic usage in tribal medicine for jaundice and liver diseases.

Long pepper is reported as a good remedy for treating respiratory tract infections, chronic gut-related problems, menstrual pain, tuberculosis, sleeping problems, and arthritic conditions. Since a long time, this has been known to possess immunomodulatory and antitumor activity. Pharmacological and clinical studies have revealed that piperine, from this plant act as antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, depressant and hepatoprotective. In addition, piperine has also been shown to enhance the bioavailability of several drugs, including tetracycline, streptomycin, etc. Considering this effect, it is a highly suitable candidate as an adjuvant with therapeutic drugs in chronic ailments, so as to reduce the effective dose of the drug intake thus reducing the subsequent adverse effects.

The anti-tumour properties of piperine related to its immunomodulatory properties, which involve the activation of cellular and humoral immune responses, make it a potential candidate for future cancer therapy. Anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of plant/root aqueous extracts indicate Long pepper as a potential source for the isolation of oral anti-hyperglycemic agents.  Cardioprotective effect of methanolic extract of this can be attributed to the presence of compounds such as alkaloids and amides, lignans, esters and volatile oil.  

This plant is having antibacterial and antifungal activities against many pathogens. It can also be used against certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Piperine content in Long pepper has anti-inflammatory activity as well as anti-arthritic activity due to its immunomodulatory action. Long pepper has been proven to have anti-apoptosis activities, along with its anti-snake venom properties.

For centuries, this plant had been used as a medicine to cure diseases related to the lungs and respiratory system. Piperaldehyde, one of the important constituents of Long pepper, is useful in exerting myocardial protective activity. Aqueous extract of Long pepper has been proven to be effective to reverse stress-induced memory loss. A mixture of piperlonguminine and dihydropiperlonguminine in long pepper can control the expression of Amyloid precursor protein and is hence considered useful for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Long pepper is reported to have potent contraceptive/anti-implantation activity without interfering with the activity of ovarian hormones in the uterus. 

Nowadays, scientists are relying more on natural products synthesised from medicinal plants to serve as alternate sources of medicine for combating and alleviating various disorders in human beings and that too without any or much less negative effect on a lower price. Long pepper, whose ethnobotanical importance has been realised long back, is a major candidate among these potential medicinal plants with wonderful myriad actions against various ailments/pathogens.