Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Piper Longum

Author

Gitesh Kumar, Akshay Kumar


Abstract

 Piper longum L. is a plant that belongs to the Piperaceae family and has been used historically in food and traditional medicine in South Asian countries. Characterised by its spicy fruits, it can be used as a spice in cooking. It has been used historically in traditional herbal formulations using both the fruit and root. Research is being carried out due to its chemical diversity and biological activity shown in extracts and constituents within the plant. [1, 7, 10, 29]

Studies have shown that P. longum contains many different phytochemical groups including alkaloids and amides, lignans, flavonoids, volatile compounds and sterols. Piperine is one of the best known spicy compounds within this plant. Piperlongumine has been highlighted in experimental research. There has been research carried out to study the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and analgesic properties of the plant. When studying isolated compounds, lab research and animal models it is important to note that this does not mean the whole plant would show efficacy or safety to treat disease in humans. [1-3, 6, 8-10, 14, 25, 27, 28]

This review will outline some information regarding the plant’s classification, common names, morphology, and phytochemical groups reported to be present. It will also highlight where there are gaps in the evidence. Each claim made regarding the individual chemicals needs to be verified. It is important to note that just because a compound was found to have some effect in an experiment it does not mean that the whole plant would show this effect. To make detailed recommendations for the cultivation of this plant it would be necessary to consult a specialist source regarding agriculture.



Keywords

Piper longum, Long Pepper, Pippali, Piperine, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plant, Pharmacological Research.



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References


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