Pipal Gol Powder - Pipli Gol - Pippali Gol - Chavya - Pepper - Thippli - Peepri - Pipili

Pippali is an essential herb used in various Ayurvedic medicines. The roots and fruits of Pippali are used for its medicinal purposes. Fruits of this plant are slight yellow to orange in color and pungent in taste. Pippali is an effective home remedy in managing cough and cold. Swallowing Pippali powder along with honey after lunch and dinner helps release mucus from the air passages due to its expectorant property, thus allowing the patient to breathe easily. It’s consumption might also help promote weight loss by improving the body’s metabolism. Consuming Pippali powder might be useful in managing constipation by promoting bowel movements due to its laxative property. Pippali might also be beneficial in managing toothache. Rubbing a paste of Pippali powder along with honey on the gums and teeth reduces pain and inflammation in the teeth due to its Kapha balancing nature. In some cases, Pippali consumption might cause heartburn and acidity due to its hot potency. So it is generally advisable to consult your doctor before taking Pippali if you have stomach ulcers

Potential Uses of Pippali as an insecticidal: 

According to studies, the fruits’ essential oil had insecticidal and insect repellent properties. In addition, piperidine alkaloids (pipernonaline and piperoctadecalidine), obtained from P. longum, had insecticidal action. We may need further studies that can give evidence for these benefits on humans.

Potential Uses of Pippali Antifungal Activity: 

Pippali might have fungicidal properties in the essential oil of the fruits. In addition, Pipernonaline, a piperidine alkaloid, can be a potential fungicidal effect against P. recondita. It is however, essential to consult your doctor before using pippali for its antifungal benefits.

Potential Uses of Pippali Antimicrobial Activity: 

P. longum extracts have shown antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens such as S. albus, S. typhi, P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and B. megaterium, as well as one fungus, A. niger in studies. It is suggested that you must never self medicate, Consult a doctor and take proper suggestions.

Potential Uses of Pippali Antiamoebic Benefits: 

According to animal studies, Entamoeba histolytica infecting the caecum was inhibited by a crude methanol extract of Piper longum fruit. In addition, the severity of caecal wall ulceration was lessened. The fruit and root of P. longum have an approximately similar antiamoebic effect.  However, further studies are required that can give evidence for these benefits on humans.

Potential Uses of Pipplai Immunomodulatory Activity: 

According to animal and laboratory studies, piperinic acid, one of the active ingredients in pippali, has been shown to reduce lymphocytes (CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) and cytokine levels in a dose-dependent manner. The alcoholic extract of P. longum fruits and its component piperine have been studied to show immunomodulatory and anticancer properties. The fruits’ alcoholic extract and piperine were proven to be cytotoxic through research. 100% giardicidal activity was found in an aqueous extract of P. longum fruit powder. P. longum may protect from stress generated by the environment. In mice infected with Giardia lamblia, a popular Ayurvedic preparation containing long pepper in pippli rasyana was evaluated and found to activate macrophages significantly, as indicated by an enhanced phagocytic activity. However, such effects need to be ascertained by further research.

Potential Uses of Pippali Anti-diabetic Effects:
As per animal studies, oral administration of dried fruits of Pippali has been proven to have strong anti-hyperglycemic, anti-lipid peroxidative, and antioxidant properties.² There is a need for more scientific research to prove these claims.

Potential Uses of Pippali Antioxidant Benefits: 

A combination of different Piper spices, salts, and herbs shows antioxidant activity in studies. Piper nigrum may have the highest antioxidant activity, followed by piper longum. However, such effects need to be ascertained by further research.

Potential Uses of Pipaali as a Cardioprotective Agent: 
A component of pippali might suppress platelet aggregation. As per animal studies, piperine, pipernonaline, piperoctadecalidine, and piper longumine, all isolated from the fruits of pippali, showed dose-dependent inhibitory activity on platelet aggregation induced by collagen arachidonic acid (AA) and platelet-activating factor (PAF), except for thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. The inhibitory effects of piperlongumine may be more potent than those of other acidamides. You must consult a doctor before using it.

Potential Uses of Pippali for its Antidepressant Effect: 
In animal studies, treatment with piperine for 72 hours reversed the corticosterone-induced decline in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression in cultured hippocampal neurons. Piperine, a known piperidine alkaloid may have a potent antidepressant-like properties mediated in part through inhibition of Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, was isolated from the ethanol extract from the fruits of P. longum using a bioassay-guided method and thus represented a promising pharmacotherapeutic candidate as an antidepressant agent. However, human trials are required to suggest the benefits of pippali for wound healing. Therefore, it is important to first speak to your concerned doctors and only use pippali as a herb. Though there are studies that show the potential uses of pippali in various conditions, but these are insufficient and there is a need of further studies to establish the true extent of benefits of pippali on human health.