Piper cubeba L.f. (Piperaceae)

Abstract

The woody vine is a native plant of India, Sri Lanka, and East Indies (south and southeast Asia). Avicenna described it as a good deobstruent and useful as an application to putrid sores and pustules in the mouth; good for voice, and hepatic obstructions, and a valuable diuretic expelling gravel and stone from kidneys and bladder. He also states that application of the saliva, after chewing it, increases sexual orgasm. Europeans were not aware of its medicinal properties and used it only as a spice. In Unani medicine, it is regarded deobstruent, resolvent, stomachic, carminative, emmenagogue, diuretic, strengthens teeth and gums, clears voice, rubefacient, improves complexion, and expels out kidney stones; and used in the treatment of liver and spleen obstructions, and syphilis. Singers and public speakers suck on it to prevent hoarseness of voice. Dried seeds of unripe fruits were used in chronic bronchitis, as urinary antiseptic and to promote healing of mucous membranes. Major chemical constituents identified in fruit EO are sabinene, eucalyptol, 4-terpineol, β-pinene, camphor , and δ-3-carene. Powdered fruits exhibited both preventive and curative effect on gentamicin-nephrotoxicity in rats, and fruit extract produced potent anti-inflammatory activity in various experimental models of inflammation, and ethanol extract also inhibited in vitro activities of COX-1, COX-2 and 5-LOX, and exhibited antiandrogenic, and antiestrogenic activities. Ethanol extract significantly ameliorated CCl₄-hepatotoxicity, and restored antioxidant enzymes activities. Cubebin, the most abundant lignan in Piper cubeba reportedly promotes vasorelaxation via NO/cGMP pathway in rat aorta, without the involvement of prostacyclin.