Home > Indian History > Flora & Fauna > Tailed Pepper
Tailed Pepper
Tailed Pepper is a medicinal plant which acts as curative for a number of ailments including oral and dental diseases, asthma, halitosis, gonorrhea and hay fever. The berries of the plant as well as its essential oils have remedial powers.

Share this Article:

Tailed Pepper, Indian Medicinal PlantsTailed Pepper, also known as Cubeb, is a perennial plant having outstanding medicinal properties. It is mostly cultivated for its essential oils and fruits. The fruits or berries of the plants are gathered before they are ripe and are dried before consumption. The fruits resemble black pepper except the stalks attached to them. Thus these are known as tailed pepper. The stems of these plants are climbers and the branches are round. They exhibit rooting at the joints. At the end of the branches, the flowers are arranged in the form of spikes. The leaves of the plants are 4.6 to 5 inches long and 1.5 to 2 inches wide. They have a smooth surface and are ovate-oblong, pointed and long in shape.

Fruits of Tailed Pepper Plant
Sanskrit texts of India have mentioned various medicinal uses of tailed pepper plants. Sushruta and Charaka have illustrated the benefits of using the paste of tailed peppers as mouthwash. The dried berries are also remedial in dental or oral diseases, fevers, halitosis and cough. The plant possesses alleged warming property for which it forms a part of several medicines. The extract of berries when used in small amount with other drugs alleviates bronchitis. The antiseptic property of tailed pepper plant is also prominent and can be best seen in the treatment of Gonorrhea. The berries are also effective in curing throat problems.

Essential Oils of Tailed Pepper Plant
The berries of tailed pepper plant contain volatile oils rich in Sesquiterpenes, Monoterpenes, alcohol cubebol and some oxides. They exhibit excellent medicinal properties. In ancient times, tailed pepper plants also found utility in making medicinal cigarettes for chronic Pharyngitis, Asthma and hay fever. The essential oils of the plants were the main ingredients in these cigarettes which had medicinal properties. These oils also act as cooling and refreshing agent and are thus frequently used in toothpaste, drinks, sorbets and gelatin-based confectioneries.

This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Flora & Fauna


Flora Of Uttarakhand
Uttaranchal falls under the west Himalayan Biogeography zone and it is well-known for floral diversity .
Flora and Fauna of Ladakh
Flora and Fauna is typical to t he kind of mountainous terrain which dominate the entire landscape of the region. Though some varieties of fauna are to be found here, the vegetation is very limited due to the dry and cold climate.
Flora and fauna in Tripura
Two-thirds of Tripura is forested where different species of trees, orchids, birds and wildlife are found. There are four sanctuaries in the state namely, Rowa wildlife sanctuary, Sepahijala wildlife sanctuary, Trishna wildlife sanctuary and Gumti wildlife sanctuary.
Flora and Fauna in Meghalaya
70 percent of Meghalaya is forested. Meghalayan forests are considered to be among the richest botanical habitats of Asia. These forests receive abundant rainfall and support a vast variety of floral and faunal biodiversity.
Flora and Fauna of Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is rich in flora and fauna. Flora includes thorn bush type of the arid plain to the temperate and alpine flora of the higher altitudes. Faunal species found here are leopard, cheetah and deer, wild sheep, bear, brown musk shrew, muskrat; varieties of snakes, bats, lizards etc.
Flora and fauna in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Economy of this region is primly based on agriculture. In Andaman island, paddy is the main food crop, while in Nicoabar island coconut and areca nut are the main crops. Some field crops like pulses, oilseeds and vegetables are also grown here.
Flora And Fauna Of Uttar Pradesh
Flora and Fauna of Uttar Pradesh is widely diversified and adds pride to the state.
Flora and fauna of Kerala
Flora and Fauna of Kerala are diverse. The favourable climate with heavy rainfall and good quality of the soils helps both the flora and fauna to thrive. Forest covers a large area in the Western Ghats of Kerala.
Flora and fauna of Karnataka
Flora and fauna of Karnataka are diverse and comprise of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, etc. Flora of Karnataka comprises of species like eucalyptus, teak and rosewood. Fauna of Karnataka comprises of species like leopard, gaur and wild pig.
Flora and Fauna of Rajasthan
The flora and fauna of Rajasthan supports all kinds of animal species and forests. The diverse flora and fauna of Rajasthan has made it a popular tourist destination.
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh includes infinite species and is a subject of great interests for the botanists.
Flora and Fauna of Manipur
Flora and fauna of Manipur are known to be the assemblage of a huge variety including the endangered ones. The place is especially famed for orchid species which includes the most vibrant and beautiful ones of the world.