About

Common names: Indian long pepper, bengal pepper, pipal

Thippali is a perennial climbing plant found in the tropical regions of India and the moist evergreen forests of Kerala. It is a vital ingredient of more than 320 classical ayurvedic and herbal preparations. Dried unripe berries or spikes of long pepper and roots are the medicinally important parts. The fruit is excellent for the three doshas. It is found in many ayurvedic medicines for diseases such as rheumatism, leprosy, fever, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers, diabetes, etc. It is also used in the treatment of jaundice, snakebite, urinary tract diseases, and respiratory diseases.

Thippali belongs to the family of black pepper, Piperaceae. The plant is a slender, glabrous, climber or creeping shrub that spreads on ground striking roots at each node. It produces two distinct dimorphic branches – vegetative main branches that creep on ground; and erect growing reproductive axillary branches. The plant flowers throughout the year and is dioecious in nature with the male and female flowers produced on different plants. Inflorescence is spike; about 35 millimetres long and 5 millimetres thick, composed of large numbers of minute greyish green or darker grey fruits, which, together with the bracts that support them, are embedded in the elongated axis; and the whole being covered with greyish dust. The shape and color of the spikes vary. The spikes of the male flower are thinner and longer. They turn yellow as they mature. The spikes of the female flower are shorter and thicker. It turns black as it matures. The fruits on female plants are used industrially for medicine.

Origin

Thippali has its origin in Indo Malay region. The plant grows wild in tropical rainforest of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Philippines. In India it is grown commercially in Assam and West Bengal and also to a smaller extent in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. However, bulk requirement of thippali is derived from wild growth in Assam, Shillong, West Bengal and also Indonesia.