Long Pepper – 1 lb (454 g)

Long Pepper, known in Chinese as 荜茇 (Bìbá) and scientifically as Fructus Piperis Longi, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Long Pepper carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Long Pepper helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Long Pepper provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Long Pepper has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Long Pepper, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Bibo, Biba, and Rat Tail. It is the nearly mature or mature fruit spike of Piper longum L., a plant of the Piperaceae family. It is native to Sumatra in Indonesia, as well as the Philippines and Vietnam. In China, it is mainly produced in Yunnan, Guangdong, and Hainan provinces. The fruit spikes are harvested in autumn when they change from green to black, impurities are removed, and then they are sun-dried.

[Properties] Pungent in taste, hot in nature. Enters the Stomach and Large Intestine meridians.

[Actions] Warms the middle burner and disperses cold, descends qi and relieves pain.

[Applications]
1. Used for epigastric and abdominal cold pain, vomiting, hiccup, diarrhea, and dysentery. For treating cold pain in the stomach with vomiting of clear fluids, it is often combined with Gao Liang Jiang (Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma); for hiccup, it is commonly combined with Ding Xiang (Caryophylli Flos) and Shi Di (Diospyri Cortex); for vomiting due to stomach cold with phlegm-fluid retention, it is often combined with Ban Xia (Pinelliae Rhizoma) and Sheng Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens); for epigastric and abdominal distention, it is combined with Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae Radix) and Hou Po (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex); for heart and abdominal pain, intestinal rumbling, and diarrhea, it is often combined with Rou Gui (Cinnamomi Cortex) and Pao Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Preparatum); if there is spleen and stomach deficiency with chronic diarrhea or dysentery, it can be combined with Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix), Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Rou Gui, and He Zi (Chebulae Fructus).
2. Used for headache, toothache, and nasal congestion due to nasal inflammation. For headache, it can be used alone as a powder to pinch into the nose; for toothache, it is combined with Xi Xin (Asari Radix et Rhizoma) and Hu Jiao (Piperis Fructus) ground into powder and applied to the affected area; for nasal congestion and nasal inflammation, it is often ground into powder and blown into the nose.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 1.5–3 g; or incorporated into pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, ground into powder and applied topically to affected areas.

[Cautions] Contraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with fire excess.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: The fruit of Fructus Piperis Longi contains piperine, as well as palmitic acid, tetrahydropiperine, 1-undecenyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene, piperidine, volatile oils, and N-isobutyl deca-2,4-dienamide. The seeds contain sesamin and long pepperine.
2. Pharmacological effects: The volatile oil of Fructus Piperis Longi has analgesic, sedative, and antipyretic effects; it can reduce total serum cholesterol in mice, possibly by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis and promoting cholesterol esterification and excretion; the volatile oil exhibits anti-hypoxia, anti-myocardial ischemia, and anti-experimental arrhythmia effects; it also inhibits Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
3. Clinical reports: For dentin hypersensitivity, use Fructus Piperis Longi tooth powder (3 g Fructus Piperis Longi, 12 g cuttlefish bone, ground into fine powder) or Fructus Piperis Longi toothpaste (containing 1% Fructus Piperis Longi oil) to brush teeth once or twice daily for 0.5–1 minute each time. Mild cases respond after one application; severe cases recover within one week. [Chinese Rural Doctor, 1982, (4):24]