Piper nigrum - Marica, Black pepper

Black pepper

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning, known as a peppercorn. When fresh and fully mature, it is about 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter and dark red, and contains a single seed, like all drupes. Black pepper is native to Kerala in Southwestern India and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Vietnam is the world's largest producer and exporter of pepper, producing 34% of the world's P. nigrum crop as of 2013.

Uses

Improves Digestion, Vitiligo, Skin disease, Peptic Ulcers, Asthma, Indigestion.

Parts Used

Seeds, leaves.

Chemical Composition

It contains globulol, α-pinene, β-caryophyllene and α-terpinene.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	Eddemunchi, eddemunci, kaalu menasu, karee menasu
Hindi	chocamirch, filfilgird
Malayalam	cattu-molagoi, kolakam, kuru-milagu, kuru-mulaka
Tamil	aguttam, akuttam, alar2, alarkay, alarkaycceti, alarmancal, alivaliyanmani
Telugu	maarichamu, maricamu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	cavyam, dhanwantari, dharmapattana
English	Black pepper, Madagascar pepper

Properties

Reference:Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Katu (pungent)

Guna

Laghu (light), Teekshna (strong, piercing)

Veerya

Ushna (hot)

Vipaka

Katu (pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Vata

Habit

Climber

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
alternative	Oblong	Leaf Arrangement is Alternate-spiral

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	2-4cm long	White, yellow		The small flowers are in dense slender spikes of about 50 blossoms each

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
oblong pod	5 mm in diameter		seeds upto 1	Fruiting throughout the year	{{{6}}}

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Aṣṭāṇgāvaleha
• Bilvādileha
• Trikatu churna
• Chandrapraha vati
• Marichadi vati
• Tribhuvana kirti rasa

Mode of Propagation

Cuttings, Seeds

How to plant/cultivate

A plant of the hot and humid lowland tropics, where it grows best at elevations up to 500 metres, but can be grown up to 2,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 35°c, but can tolerate 10 - 40 °c Cuttings - very easy and the most common commercial method of propagation

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical region, Moist region, At hot regions.

Photo Gallery

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External Links

• Black pepper on ncbi.com
• Black pepper on britannica.com
• Black pepper on indiaagronet.com
• Black pepper on agrifarming.in