Medicinal & Other Values of Spices
Spices in Indigenous Medicine System
Black Pepper - Medicinal Properties
Pepper from Piper Nigrum is one of the oldest and world's most important spice. Black pepper is the dried fruit of Piper nigrum L. Native of Malabar coast of South Western India; pepper is also called the King of Spices.
Pepper is used in certain tonic and rubefacient preparations and also used as flavour ingredient in most major food products including non alcoholic beverages, candies, baked foods, meat and meat products, Cheese, Condiments and relishes.
The fruits are acrid, bitter, carminative, aphrodisiac, diuretic, digestive and stimulant. They are useful for arthritis, asthma, fever, cough, dysentery, dyspepsia and flatulence.
Black Pepper's aromatic, slightly musty odour comes from the volatile oil found largely in the flesh and skin and its pungent bite comes from the alkaloids and resins found mostly in seeds. The Oil goes into perfumes and flavouring. The scaring substance has served many purposes. They have been used as carminative, reducing stomach and intestinal gas and have been found to stimulate the activities of the heart and kidneys. Piperine is also an effective insecticide against houseflies and is also used for spraying against different types of pests in garden.
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