Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Medicinal Uses

 

Scientific Classification

• Scientific Name: Piper nigrum L.
• Family: Piperaceae
• English Name: Black Pepper

Common Names in Different Languages

• Sanskrit: मरिच (Marich)
• Hindi: काली मिर्च (Kali Mirch)
• Gujarati: મરી (Miri)
• Marathi: मिरी (Miri)
• Bengali: গোলমরিচ (Golmorich)
• Telugu: మిరియాలు (Miriyalu)
• Punjabi: ਕਾਲੀ ਮਿਰਚ (Kali Mirch)
• Persian: فلفل سیاه (Fil-fil Syah)
• Arabic: فلفل أسود (Fil-fil Aswad)

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Introduction

Black pepper is a perennial, creeping vine that spreads with the help of glandular roots. It thrives in hot and humid regions, particularly in southern India. The plant produces two crops annually:

• First Crop: August-September
• Second Crop: March-April

It is sold in two main forms:

• Black Pepper: Made from semi-ripe fruits, dried directly.
• White Pepper: Made from fully ripe fruits, soaked in water, mashed, and peeled to remove the outer layer.

White pepper has a milder taste compared to black pepper.

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External Appearance

• Growth: Climbing, creeping vine, spreading over trees or supports.
• Leaves: 5-6 inches long, 2-5 inches wide, betel leaf-like with prominent veins.
• Flowers: Small, unisexual, white-grey in color.
• Fruits:
  • Unripe stage: Green
  • Ripe stage: Red
  • Dried state: Black (black pepper)

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Chemical Composition

Black pepper contains the following active compounds:

• Alkaloids: Piperine, Piperidine, Piperatein, Chavicine (responsible for pungency).
• Essential Oils: Volatile oils contributing to aroma.
• Other Nutrients:
  • Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats
  • Minerals: Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus
  • Vitamins: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Nicotinic acid, Vitamin A

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Properties and Benefits

• Digestive & Appetite Booster: Stimulates salivation and improves digestion.
• Gas Reliever: Helps in bloating and indigestion.
• Cough & Phlegm Eliminator: Useful in respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis.
• Liver Stimulant: Enhances liver function.
• Diuretic: Aids in flushing toxins through urine.
• Skin Benefits: Used in treating leprosy and other skin diseases.
• Eye Health: Beneficial for improving vision.
• Detoxifying Agent: Helps remove bodily impurities.

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Medicinal Uses

Respiratory Issues (Cough, Cold, Asthma)

1. For Cough Relief:
   • Take 2 grams of black pepper powder with hot milk and sugar candy.
   • Swallow 7 grains of black pepper to relieve cough.
2. For Cold:
   • Mix 50g curd, 15-20g jaggery, and 1.5g black pepper powder. Consume 3-4 times a day.
3. For Chest Congestion & Phlegm Removal:
   • Mix 2-3g of black pepper powder with honey and ghee. Consume morning and evening.
4. For Severe Cough:
   • Boil black pepper powder in cow’s milk and drink.

Headache & Hiccups

1. Burn a black pepper seed on a lamp, inhale the smoke to relieve hiccups and headaches.
2. Grind black pepper with Bhaangra juice or rice water, apply on the forehead to cure migraines.

Toothache & Throat Disorders

1. Grind 1-2g of black pepper powder with 3-4 Jamun leaves or guava leaves and gargle.
2. This remedy also helps with hoarseness of voice and throat infections.

Skin & Hair Care

1. For Head Lice:
   • Mix 10-12 custard apple seeds with 5-6 black pepper in mustard oil, apply before sleeping, and wash in the morning.
2. For Scalp Infections & Hair Fall:
   • Mix black pepper, onion, and salt, apply to affected areas.

Eye Diseases

1. Mix black pepper with curd, apply around the eyes for night blindness.
2. Rub black pepper in water and apply to painful boils on eyelids.

Stomach Disorders

1. For Indigestion:
   • Boil 1-2g of black pepper in 100ml water, reduce to 20-25ml, filter, and drink.
2. For Flatulence & Bloating:
   • Take black pepper extract or black pepper oil for immediate relief.

Vomiting During Pregnancy

1. Mix 1g black pepper powder with sugar candy syrup and pomegranate juice to stop vomiting.
2. Drink clove and black pepper decoction to ease morning sickness.

Clove Medicinal Uses

 Scientific Name: Syzygium aromaticum

Family Name: Myrtaceae
Common Names: Clove

Hindi: लौंग (Laung)

Sanskrit: लवङ्ग (Lavanga)

English: Clove

Bengali: লবঙ্গ (Labanga)

Tamil: கிராம்பு (Kirambu)

Telugu: లవంగం (Lavangam)

Malayalam: കറാമ്പ് (Karampu)

Punjabi: ਲੌਂਗ (Laung)

Urdu: لونگ (Laung)

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Introduction

The original place of origin of clove is Malacca Island, but in India, it is cultivated in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Most of its imports in India come from Singapore. The clove tree starts flowering at the age of about 9 years. Its flower buds are dried and sold in the market as cloves.

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External Appearance

• Clove is an evergreen tree that grows up to 40 feet tall.

• Soft and drooping branches spread all around.

• Leaves are green, oval-shaped, and 3-6 inches in length.

• Flowers are fragrant and purple in color.

• The fruit is clove-shaped and known as Matiralavang.

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Chemical Composition

• Contains volatile oils, mainly eugenol, amyleugenol, and caryophyllene.

• Several other essential compounds contribute to its medicinal properties.

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Properties

• Pungent and bitter in taste.

• Beneficial for the eyes.

• Cooling, digestive, and appetizing.

• Helps in treating cough, bile disorders, blood diseases, thirst, vomiting, flatulence, colic, breathing issues, hiccups, and tuberculosis.

• Clove oil is digestive, relieves flatulence, cures toothache, and alleviates vomiting in pregnant women.

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Special Properties of Clove

1. Increases appetite and strengthens stomach functions.

2. Enhances alertness and consciousness.

3. Removes body odor and helps in wound healing.

4. Acts as a diuretic, cleanses the urethra, and expels foreign substances from the body through urine.

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Medicinal Uses

Headache and Eye Diseases

• For Headache: Grind 6 grams of cloves in water, heat it, and apply a thick paste on the temples.

• For Eye Issues: Grind cloves in a copper vessel, mix with honey, and apply on the forehead to treat eye disorders.

• For Cold-Induced Headache: Grind 2 cloves and 1 gram of opium in water, heat, and apply on the forehead.

Respiratory Disorders

• For Phlegm & Cough: Boil 2 grams of clove powder in 125 grams of water. Drink after straining.

• For Whooping Cough: Roast 3-4 cloves on fire, grind, mix with honey, and lick.

• For Asthma & Breathlessness: Mix equal parts of clove, fig flower, and black salt. Suck on a gram-sized tablet.

Oral Health

• Keeping clove in the mouth removes bad breath.

• Gargling with clove decoction helps in oral infections.

Digestive Health

• For Indigestion & Flatulence: Grind 10 grams each of cloves, dry ginger, carom seeds, and rock salt. Mix with 40 grams of jaggery to make tablets. Take 1 tablet 2-3 times daily.

• For Sour Belching: Mix 10 grams each of cloves, long pepper, black pepper, peepal, and carom seeds with 50 grams of common salt and sugar candy. Add lemon juice, dry, and store. Consume 1 spoon after meals.

• For Poor Digestion: Grind 1-2 grams of cloves, boil in 100 grams of water, strain, and drink.

Vomiting & Nausea

• For General Vomiting: Grind cloves with water, heat slightly, and consume in small quantities.

• For Pregnancy-Related Vomiting: Mix 1 gram of clove powder with sugar candy syrup and pomegranate juice.

• For Cholera-Induced Thirst: Boil 1-1.5 grams of cloves in 1.5 liters of water. Cover and give 20-25 grams of this water at intervals.

Urinary & Reproductive Health

• As a Diuretic: Helps cleanse the urinary tract and expel toxins.

• For Weak Digestion & Weakness After Fever: Take equal parts of clove and small pepper, powder them, and lick 1 gram with honey.

Miscellaneous Uses

• For Heartburn: Grind 2-4 cloves in cold water, mix with sugar candy, and drink.

• For Bone & Joint Pain: Grind equal parts of clove bark, pods, and gum; consume 1 spoon 3 times daily.

• For Ringworm: Grind cloves in vinegar and apply to the affected area.

Acacia / Babul medicinal tree

 Scientific Name:

Acaia nilotica (L.) Willd.

Family Name: Mimosaceae
English Name: Acacia tree, Babul

Common Names in Different Languages:

Sanskrit: Barbar, Ajamegya, Diirghkantaka

Hindi: Babul, Babur, Kikar
Marathi: Babul, Babul
Bengali: Bavla, Babul, Kikar
Telugu: Baburram, Nakka Dumma, Nela-Tumma
Punjabi: Babla

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Introduction

Babul is an ancient tree known for its medicinal and commercial significance. Its bark and gum are widely used in various industries. This desert tree has small leaves and thorny stems. It has found mention in literature due to its unique properties. Babul trees are widely found in India, blooming with yellowish spherical flowers in summer, followed by pod growth in autumn.

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External Appearance

• Medium-sized tree with dark brown, cracked bark
• Round, bent branches with sharp, pointed thorns
• Bipinnate small leaflets arranged in 4 to 9 pairs
• Yellowish flowers appear in spherical clusters
• Pods are 3-6 inches long, flat, containing 8-12 flat seeds
• Reddish-white gum oozes from the stem, especially in summer
• Acacia wood is widely used for fuel

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Chemical Composition

• Bark contains 6-12% astringent substances
• Pods contain 12-19% tannin
• Extract from the stem forms Acacia gum
• Indian gum is round or oval, light yellow to dark brown, and water-soluble

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Properties

• Bark & Pods: Astringent, worm-killer, leprosy and burn pacifier
• Gum: Wind-bile pacifier, diuretic, aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, tonic
• Overall: Pacifies cough, bile, and phlegm disorders

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Medicinal Uses

1. Eye Diseases

• Grind soft leaves, extract juice, and use 1-2 drops for eye pain and swelling
• Tie a paste of leaves mixed with woman’s milk on the eyes

2. Dental Health

• Gargle with acacia bark decoction 2-3 times daily
• Suck gum pieces for relief from oral infections
• Brushing with a mixture of acacia pod peel, salt, and almond peel ash relieves toothache
• Using soft acacia twigs as a toothbrush strengthens teeth
• Powder of bark, leaves, flowers, and pods helps prevent dental issues
• Gargling with its bark decoction prevents tooth decay

3. Throat Diseases

• Mix leaves and bark of acacia with banyan bark, soak in water, and gargle
• Decoction of bark mixed with sugar candy relieves thirst and burning sensation

4. Breast Firmness

• Apply dried pod pulp with a cloth wrap to firm loose breasts

5. Abdominal Disorders

• Drink decoction of inner bark mixed with buttermilk for abdominal diseases, including ascites
• Pickle of soft pods with rock salt improves appetite and digestion

6. Jaundice

• Mix acacia flower powder with sugar candy; take 10g thrice daily

7. Diarrhea

• Drink juice of 8-10 acacia leaves
• Grind tender shoots with cumin seeds and pomegranate buds, dissolve in 100g water, and drink
• Mix leaf juice with buttermilk and drink

8. Semen Disorders

• Dry and grind pods; mix with sugar candy; consume one spoon in morning and evening
• Fry acacia gum in ghee and consume for increasing semen quality in men and strength in women

9. Snotfall

• Consume powder of acacia Panchanga (all parts) with sugar candy regularly

10. Puerperal Disease

• Grind 10g inner bark and 3 black peppercorns, eat in morning and evening

11. Children's Health

• Feeding 2-4g of acacia leaf powder daily results in a radiant child

12. Bone Fracture

• Regularly consume one spoon of pod powder to aid bone healing

13. Sciatica & Back Pain

• Grind equal parts of bark, pods, and gum; take one spoon thrice daily

14. Skin Issues

• Grind acacia flowers with vinegar and apply on ringworm

15. Bleeding Disorders

• Apply juice of acacia leaves on wounds or sprinkle dry leaf/bark powder to stop bleeding

Bel / Bael fruit tree (Digestion tonic)

 Scientific Name:

Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa

Family:
Rutaceae

Common Names:

• English: Bael fruit tree, Bael

• Sanskrit: Bilva, Shriphal, Pootivat, Shailpatra, Lakshmiputra, Shivesht

• Hindi: Bel, Vili, Shriphal

• Gujarati: Bel, Beeli

• Bengali: Bel

• Telugu: Bilvayu, Moredu

• Arabic: Safarjale

• Urdu: Bel

• Tamil: Bilubam

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Introduction

The Bael tree is an ancient and sacred Indian tree, mentioned in Shastra Purana and Vedic literature. It has unique characteristics such as its ability to retain quality even after long periods. The tree’s shade is cool and health-promoting, making it highly valued in traditional medicine.

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External Appearance

• A medium-sized tree, 25-30 feet tall, with a thick, leafy canopy.

• Leaves are trifoliate and fragrant.

• Fruits are spherical, 2-4 inches in diameter, with a greyish-yellow exterior.

• Seeds are small, hard, and numerous.

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Chemical Composition

• Contains tannic acid, volatile oil, and bitter elements.

• The fruit pulp has sugar-reducing elements and tannin.

• The seed oil is yellow and acts as a potent purgative.

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Properties

• Hot in nature.

• Calms phlegm and wind.

• Tasty, digestive, heart-tonic, blood-stopper, and phlegm destroyer.

• Useful in treating diarrhea, dysentery, diabetes, leucorrhoea, hemorrhoids, and hypermenorrhea.

Different Parts & Their Properties

1. Bael Fruit:

   • Astringent, digestive, smooth, hot, beneficial for colic, rheumatism, and dysentery.

2. Young or Semi-Ripe Fruit:

   • Astringent, light, aids digestion, and alleviates phlegm.

3. Ripe Fruit:

   • Heavy, sweet, hot, mild laxative, and strength-enhancing.

4. Leaves:

   • Astringent, digestive, anti-inflammatory, beneficial for diabetes, jaundice, fever, and wounds.

5. Root & Bark:

   • Used for fever, indigestion, diarrhea, and urinary tract issues.

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Medicinal Uses

1. Headache

• Apply a paste of dried root with water on the head.

• Apply a bandage soaked in leaf juice for relief.

2. Lice Removal

• Mix ripe fruit peel with sesame oil and camphor; apply on hair to prevent lice.

3. Eye Treatment

• Apply ghee on leaves, heat, and tie on eyes to cure eye infections.

• Drip fresh leaf juice in eyes to relieve irritation.

4. Night Blindness

• Consume fresh bael leaves with black pepper and sugar candy.

• Prepare and apply herbal antimony made from bael leaf juice, cow ghee, and camphor.

5. Deafness

• Prepare an ear oil using soft bael leaves, cow urine, sesame oil, and goat milk; use daily.

6. Tuberculosis, Asthma & Vomiting

• Consume a mixture of bael root, Adusa leaf, cactus fruit, dry ginger, black pepper, and long pepper with honey.

7. Heartache

• Mix 5 grams cow ghee with 1 gram leaf juice and consume.

8. Abdominal Pain

• Prepare syrup using bael leaves, black pepper, and sugar candy; take thrice daily.

• Use a herbal decoction with asafoetida and rock salt for relief.

9. Burning Sensation, Thirst & Indigestion

• Soak bael leaves in water, strain, and drink to reduce internal burning.

• Drink leaf extract with sugar to ease acidity.

10. Poor Digestion & Loss of Appetite

• Consume a mixture of bael fruit powder, long pepper, and ginger juice.

• Roast raw bael on cow dung cakes, extract pulp, and mix with sugar candy.

11. Thirst, Vomiting, Constipation & Acidity

• Mix bael pulp with sugar, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper for relief.

• Consume pulp mixed with tamarind water to alleviate constipation.

12. Vatagulma (Abdominal Disorders)

• Consume bael pulp with jaggery to relieve dysentery and constipation.

13. Hemorrhage

• Mix bael fruit powder with cold water and sugar candy for quick relief.

• Prepare a decoction of bael root and use it as a sitz bath for hemorrhoid pain.

14. Cholera & Vomiting

• Boil mango kernel and bael fruit in water, mix with honey, and consume.