Family Name: Piperaceae
Botanical Name(s): Piper nigrum
Popular Name(s): Pepper, White Pepper, Green Peppercorns,
Maricha, Gulmirch
Parts Used: Fruit
Habitat: Black Pepper is widely found in India and Cochin-China.
It is cultivated in other parts of the world also.
Description: Black Pepper is a woody, broad-leaved evergreen
vine which grows up to 20 feet. Its leaves are entire, broadly ovate,
acuminate, with seven nerves and possess dark green colour. The flowers
are small, white, sessile and the fruits are globular, red berries when
ripe with a coarsely wrinkled surface.
Uses: Black Pepper has aromatic, stimulant, carminative
properties. It is used as an anthelmintic, antipyretic and expectorant.
It cures cholera, asthma, diarrhoea, hemorrhoids, chronic rheumatism and
a number of other diseases.
