Pippali: Incredible Wellness Incentives Of The Indian Long Pepper

Pippali or Long pepper is a unique aromatic herb that has been with us for centuries owing to its extensive curative properties. The traditional herb goes by the botanical name Piper longum and comes from the Piperaceae family. The holistic science of ayurveda classifies this herb as a potent rejuvenative herb that has strong anti-ageing and aphrodisiac effects on the body and is widely used for treating diabetes, asthma, indigestion, cough and cold.
Clad by the vernacular names ‘Pipli’ in Hindi, ‘Tippili’ in Tamil, ‘Pippalu’ in Telugu, ‘Tippali’ in Malaylam, and ‘Pipul’ in Bengali, the long pepper is indigenous to several parts of India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Srilanka. In India, it is mostly found at an altitude of 1800 metres, in the hotter parts of Khasi and Mikir hills, the central Himalayas to Assam, lower hilly regions of Bengal and the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats from Konkan to Kerala.
Pippali is an exotic climbing perennial plant that usually bears long thin conical ridged fruits. Unlike any other herb, it is the dry fruits of the pippali plant that offers us therapeutic benefits.
Even ancient Sanskrit scriptures have mentioned long pepper in various vernacular names such as Kana, Magadhi, Vaidehi, Chapala, Krushna, Trishna, Shoundi, Kola, etc and extensively used it in various herbal formulations. The ancient Ayurveda scholar Bhava Prakash classifies Pippali in Haritakyadi, Trikatu and Panchakola category. According to Acharya Charaka, Pippali portrays strong Deepana (enhances stomach fire), Pachana (improves digestion), Sheeto Prashamana (treats cough and cold), Shoola Prashamana (treats colic and abdominal pain), Asthapanopaga (treats enema), Kasahara (treats cough and congestion), Hikkanigrahana (controls hiccups), Kantya (relieves sore throat), Triptighno (relieves pseudo-satiation), and Vamanopaga (treats emesis) properties.