Long pepper is generally used as spice and for seasoning in different
countries. It has somewhat similar aromatic and hot flavour as black
pepper.
It doesn't found abundantly and sometimes becomes the substitute of black
pepper.
It is native to south Asia and a relative to black pepper.
Long pepper is a perennial long slender climber with woody roots,
creeping and jointed stems with fleshy fruits embedded in the spikes.
The leaves of this slender climber are numerous of about 6.3-9.0 cm,
broadly ovate, oblong-oval, dark-green and lustrous yet partly dull.
The flowers are both male and female as male flower stalk is about 1 to 3
inch long while female flower stalk is ½ to 1 inch long.
The fruit is long measures upto 1'' in diameter and is green-yellow when
young while it gets black when ripened.
Long pepper is basically found in warmer countries and it grows in
throughout of India.
It is also cultivated in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and
south Asian regions.
The long pepper (fruit) and roots are used.
Long pepper contains aromatic oil, piperine, alkaloids, sesamin and pipalestrol. The roots of this plant contain pipperin, pippalartin, pipperleguminin, sterols and glycosides.
Long pepper is known for its medicinal properties and used to treat:
This herb is also known to have abortefacient property which helps to
induce abortion naturally.