Piper cubeba, Cubeb or Tailed Pepper is perennial flowering vine in the family Piperaceae. It is also known as Java pepper. Piper cubeba is native to Indonesia and in India it is cultivated to a small extent, in Assam and Karnataka. This plant is cultivated for its fruit and essential oil.
The unripe fruits of cubeb is used as spice to flavour many dishes and also for treating various ailments. The fruits has carminative, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, irritant, sedative, anti-dysenteric, and antiseptic properties and useful in the treatment of cold, cough, bronchitis, respiratory infection, and reproductive system related problems.
This medicinal herbs works especially on mucous tissues and arrests excessive discharge (of respiratory tract, reproductive and urinary tract). The unripe and dried fruits of piper cubeba are used for medicinal purpose.
General Information
| Latin name: Piper cubeba Linn. f.
Family: Piperaceae Vernacular names: Sanskrit: Kankola, Kakkola, Kankolaka, Takkola, Koraka, Kolaka, Kashphala, Sheetalchini Assamese : Kakkol, Kababcheni Bengali : Kahabcbini, Sugandhamaricha English : Cubebs, Tailed Pepper Gujarati : Chanakabab, Chinikabab Hindi : Seetalchini, Kababchini Kannada : Gandhamenasu, Balamenasu Kashmiri : Kushfal, Kababchini Malayalam : Cheenamulaku, Takkolam, Valmulaku Marathi : Kankol Oriya : Kababchini Punjabi : Kababchini, Sardchini Tamil/Siddha : Vaali milaku, Valmilagu |
Telugu : Chalavamiriyalu, Tokamiriyalu
Urdu, Unani : Kababchini Indonesian: tjabe djawa Italian: cubebe Japanese: kubeba Korean: chaba huchu Mandarin: bi cheng qie Polish: kubeba Portuguese: cubeba Russian: dikij perets, kubeba Thai: prik hang |
Cubeb or Kababchini can be used to treat various ailments.
Here is given few simple home remedies with this medicinal spice
- Dysuria, painful urination
Take 1/2 teaspoon of piper cubeba powder with misri/sugar candy, in morning and evening. - Piles
Take 1/2 teaspoon of piper cubeba powder, twice a day with warm cup of milk. If constipated, use trihala churna. - Chronic cough
Take 1/2 teaspoon of piper cubeba powder, thrice a day with honey. - Coryza, congestion
Smell this through nostril/take Nasya of Piper cubeba. - Oral problems, bad breath, mouth sore, bad taste
Chew 2-3 grains few times a day. - Nocturanl discharge
Prepare a mixed powder/churna. Take equal amount of or 5 grams piper cubeba, ela (choti elaichi), pippali (piper longum) and vansh lochan. Pulverise and sieve through a cloth. Add misri equal to 20 grams. Take this powder 1/2 teaspoon in morning and evening with a glass of warm milk. This cures night discharge and improves fertility.
Note: Take piper cubeba in the recommended dosage. If taken in excess it can cause skin itching, impaired digestion, nausea, vomiting, purging and burning pain. Cubeb or Kababchini should be avoided in case of inflammation in digestive tract and ulcer.
Should the tail of kababchini be consumed or discarded?