Quality Specifications On Piper Nigrum L. - A Herbal Drug .

Cloud PublicationsInternational Journal of Advanced Food Science and Technology2012, Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 1-10, Article ID Med-01.Research ArticleOpen AccessQuality Specifications on Piper nigrum L. - A Herbal Drug and Spiceof Indian CommerceDinesh Jain1, Deepak Roy2, and Deepankar Singh212Department of Botany, C.G.K. PG College, Bangalore, Karnataka, IndiaDepartment of Botany, P.K. L. PG College, Bangalore, Karnataka, IndiaCorrespondence should be addressed to Dinesh Jain, din esjain007@yahoo.comPublication Date: 20 September 2012Article Link: P/article/view/Med-01Copyright 2012 Dinesh Jain, Deepak Roy, and Deepankar Singh. This is an open access article distributedunder the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, andreproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.AbstractPiper nigrum L. is used as drug in Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha system of medicine. Dried fruit isemployed commercially as a condiment; it is warming, drying and stimulating to the circulatory,digestive and respiratory system. The approved modern therapeutic application for Piper is supportbased on its long history of use in well established systems of medicines viz. Ayurveda, Unani andSiddha. The present communication deals with detailed pharmacognostic studies and review relatedto quality aspects of pepper.Keywords Piper nigrum L., Drug Standardization, Quality Specifications.1. IntroductionPiper nigrum L. is commonly known as Pepper or Kalimirch; it is widely used as a pungent condiment.The fruit of the piper plant is a common ingredient in many recipes. Piper nigrum plant is a woody,perennial climber, indigenous to Cochin, China, and India and also widely cultivated. One anothername of piper is ‘sun marcia’, because it has the same qualities as the macrocosmic source of heatand light. It is warming, drying and stimulating to the circulatory, digestive and respiratory systems.Piper was introduced into Europe about the year 1000 it was known by Theophrastus and otherancient writers. The medicinal values of Piper as a counterirritant depend on its more pungent anddelicately aromatic. This spice is also used as a homeopathic treatment for a variety of conditions.Piper is credited with a number of medicinal properties in different systems of medicine viz.,Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. Piper is two type black piper and white piper , whiter piper is alsoconsist of the fruits of Piper nigrum which have ripened and formed after the separation of pericarp offruit , the fruit have soaked in salt water or lime water (1).

IJAFST – An Open Access Journal2. MethodologyDrug samples were collected from different places with a view to find out any significant differencepresent within the same species. For studying powder, Jackson and Snowdon (2) were followed. Todetermine physico-chemical constants, Indian Pharmacopoeia (3) was consulted and for fluorescencestudy schedules mentioned by Trease and Evans (4) was followed. Colours were named byconsulting Rayner (5). Standard prescribed procedures for histochemical studies (6), (7), (8), (9);organic group detection (10); U.V. Spectrophotometry (11) and Chromatography (12), (13), (14) wereadopted from relevant literature resource. The informatics is complied by reviewing the availableliterature.3. ResultA) Family: PiperaceaeB) Genus: PiperPiper nigrum L., Sp. Pl., 29, 1753; Hook. f. in Fl. Brit. Ind., 5: 83, 1985.Perennial, branching, climbing, stem glabrous and rooting at the nodes. Leaves simple, alternate,cordate, broadly ovate, apex pointed, 5-9 nerved and dark green. Flowers spikes usually deciduous.Fruiting spikes variable in length and robustness, rachies glabrous, fruit drupe, globular, red whenripe, turning black after drying (Figure 1 A).C) DistributionIt is mostly cultivated in the hot and moist climate, in evergreen forests up to 1,500 m in India, Srilankaand other tropical countries and also widely cultivated. The species has probably originated in hills ofSouth Western India, of North Kanara to Kanyakumari and wild in Travancore and Malabar (15).D) Drug SpecificationFruits rounded, hard, wrinkled, 0.4 to 0.5 cm in diameter and greyish-black to black. The pericarp isthin and encloses a single seed with a hollow centre.E) NomenclatureThe plant is known by different vernacular names e.g. Golmorich, Kalamorich and Morich (Bengali),Kalimori (Gujarati), Kalimirach (Hindi), Kurumulaku (Malayalam), Kalamiri (Marathi), Milagu (Tamil),Miriyalu and Marichamu (Telugu), Filfil siyah and Kalimirach (Urdu).F) Cultivation, Collection and Storage PracticesIn India pepper is cultivated mostly as a mixed crop in homestead garden. It grows in various parts ofIndia mainly Kerala, Tamilnadu and Karnatak.The veins require trained on to existing trees like jack,mango, coconut bamboo, orange etc. Peppers require warm and humid climate with annual rainfallover 200 cm. Pepper vein can be propagated either vegetatively or by seeds. Vegetative propagationis more adopted because of slow regeneration from seed; although the seeds raised plant remainproductive for a long period and yield more in later years. The plant is cropped twice during AugustSeptember. and other in March-April. The pepper vein start to fruit 2-3 years later, the fruit is ready forharvest from middle of December to middle March. After the harvesting, the spikes are removed fromInternational Journal of Advanced Food Science and Technology2

IJAFST – An Open Access Journalthe vines and dried in the sun. Store protected from moisture and against attack by insect androdents, polyethylene shall be used for packing.G) Chemical ConstituentsPepper fruit contain 2% - 4% volatile oil (sabinene, areyophyllene, beta-pinene, alph-pinenecamphene, limonene, myrcene, and piperonal), 5% - 9% alkaloids (piperine, piperidine, piperanine,pieretine and chavicine), fixed oil and chromium. The sharp taste is due to Piperiene, a nitrogenoussubstance (1).H) Medicinal PropertiesThe fruits are acrid, bitter, anthelmintic, carminative, alerant, aphrodisiac, alexeteric, antiperiodic,deobstruant, diuretic, digestive, emmenagogue, rubefacient, stimulant and stomachic. Medicinally thepepper fruits are used in arthritis, throat troubles, hoarseness, colic, gastric ailments, vertigo,unconsciousness, paraplegia, scorpion sting, convulsions pimples, eczema, scabies, alopecia, otherskin diseases, pharyangodynia, asthma, fever, cough, catarrh, dysentery, dyspepsia, vomiting,diarrhoea flatulence, hiccough, hemorrhoids, urethrorrhea and dermatopathy, eye diseases, oedemaand obesity (16).I) Pharmacological ActivitiesPepper plays a great role in digestions, useful for low appetite, sluggish digestion, abdominal pain,toxins and borborygmus. Its anthelmentic qualities help to remove worms. The drug stimulant thethermal receptors and increases secretion of salvia and gastric mucous. It has an antimicrobial effect.It influences liver and metabolic function, and has been insecticide effect (17). It has also anotherpharmacological activities viz. antioxidant, anticonvulsant, sedative, insecticidal, pesticidal, musclerelaxant, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, tendincidal, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial,antiulcer, antibacterial, lipolytic etc (15).J) Commercial PotentialitiesThe commercial supplies come from Indonesia, Singapore and India. The main markets for Indianpepper have been U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Germany, France, Italy, Netherland, Belgium, U.K. and Canada.It is available throughout India and is available in the market in varying rates.K) Important FormulationsKarpoorasava, Ayaskriti, Shrikhandasava, Eladi ghrita, Kasisdai ghrita, Taptaraja taila, Marchadigutika, Marchadi yaila, Marchadi churna, Marchadya ghrita, Marchadya Taila Ashtangalvana churna,Laghulayi churna, Brihnmarichadya taila, Taramandura guda, Trikatu Churna Jawarankusha rasa,Guduchi lauha, Trikatu churna, Apratisaraanjana, Kshanmakshika yoga, Mrityunjaya rasa, AttaticCuranam, Civanar Amirtam, Cuvacakkutori,Elatic Curanam, Nilvakaic Curanam, Panca TipakkinicCuranam, Talicati Vatakam, Tirikatuku Curanam (18), (19).L) Adulterations and SubstituteAframomum melegueta (Rosc.) Schum., Lantana camera L. , Polygonum amphibium L., Seshnusmolle L., Vitex agnuscastus L., Vitex altisimma L. and Carica papaya L. is the adulteration of Pipernigrum L.International Journal of Advanced Food Science and Technology3

IJAFST – An Open Access JournalM) Other UsesPeepers are used as a major condiment employed for seasoning freshly prepared foods. Oil ofpepper is used in flavouring sansage, canned meats, soups, table sauces, beverages and liquors; oilis also used in soaps and medicine. Green fresh peppers used in preparing pickles. They can alsouse as an insecticide against clothes moths.N) Regulatory StatusAn official drug under Drugs & Cosmetic Act 1940 and Rules and food commodity (spice) in FoodSafety and Standards Act, 2006, Rules, 2011 and Regulations 2011.Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. III. (18)Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I. (20)Unani Pharmacopoeia of India Part I & Vol. IV. (21)National Formulary of Unani Medicine Part I. (22)Siddha Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. I. (19)Siddha Formulary of India, Part-I. (23)Indian Pharmacopoeia, 2010. (3)Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2011 (24) (for food commodity)O) Organoleptic CharacteristicsFruits rounded, hard, wrinkled, 0.4 - 0.5 cm in diameter and greyish-black to black. The pericarp isthin and encloses a single seed with a hollow centre (Figure 1 B, C). The powder colour is blackishgrey; odour, aromatic; taste, pungent (Figure 1 D).P) Micro-Morphological CharacteristicsThe epicarp adherent to the outermost sclerenchymatous layer of the mesocarp; containing pigmentand calcium oxalate crystals. The sclereids are varying in shape and size, usually polygonal torectangular. Mesocarp of the parenchyma thick-walled, irregular shaped cells and scatter oleoresincells. Endocarps compose of a single layer of lignified cells associated pigment layer of testa insurface view. Perisperm thin-walled, polygonal or ovoid cells; containing starch granules and oil cells(Figure 2).Q) HistochemistryMicro-chemical tests and behaviour of specific reagents towards plant/drug tissues: Observations andresults of micro-chemical tests and behaviour of specific reagent towards plant tissues are presentedin Table 1.International Journal of Advanced Food Science and Technology4