Pipal Choti | Small Piper | Piper Retrofraction

Names: Pipal Choti, Pipal Small, Piper Retrofraction, Pipali, Pippali, Pipli, Small Piper, Short Pepper

Form: Dried Raw Herb  

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Pippali Powder for Cough

Ayurveda considers Kasa (cough) as a disease for which a specific line of treatment and various remedies are prescribed. Simple herbal remedies such as Pippali can successfully treat uncomplicated cough, if patients observe the prescribed precautions along with medication.

These are:

(1) Exposure to fumes and dust, sudden change of temperature in the surrounding, dry and spicy foods, chilled water and food, leafy vegetables and heavy meals should be avoided.

(2) Soft, hot and easily digestible meals, edibles like honey, small cardamom, fresh ginger, radish, meat soup, goat milk and resins help to control cough.

(3) It is advisable to resort to sleeping during the day and not to suppress urges of stools, urination and belching. Cough symptom can be controlled easily with frequent drinks of warm water, mental relaxation and with less talking.

Dose and mode of administration

The adult dose of the formulation is 1 gram to 3 grams and the children’s dose is 125 mg to 250 mg, two or three times a day, mixed with honey or warm water. Honey is the best vehicle for consuming Pippali powder. Jaggery or liquorice root powder may be used in place of honey, if the cough is dry, irritating and persistent. Warm water should be taken after consuming the medicine to facilitate its swallowing and fast absorption.

Indications and uses

1) Pippali powder is indicated for acute and chronic cough due to common cold, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, naso-respiratory catarrh, respiratory allergy, asthma and smoking.

(2) Non-specific cough is adequately manageable with Pippali Churna.

(3) The formulation is also effective in controlling symptoms associated with cough-like sneezing, hiccough, nasal discharge, fever, poor appetite, indigestion, etc.

Precautions and safety aspects

(1) Pippali is regarded as safe in recommended doses. Ayurvedic literature does not specifically mention any toxicity or adverse effects from the use of Sitopaladi powder like formulations, which include Pippali. However, long-term use of Pippali alone is not recommended in Charaka Samhita. Scientific studies have shown 750-800 mg/kg dose as LD-50 value of piperine in mice.

(2) Do not consume Pippali powder without mixing properly with honey or warm water.

(3) Fried and spicy foods, chilled drinks, curd, yogurt, smoking and exposure to cold should be avoided while suffering with cough. Frequent sipping of warm water helps a lot to facilitate the effect of the medicine in controlling cough whether dry or productive.

(4) Patients with cough lasting over 10-15 days should take proper medical advice for exact diagnosis of underlying cause and for needful treatment.

(5) Patients with diabetes mellitus and obesity should use the formulation without honey or jaggery. Similarly, sugar and jaggery should not be taken with Pippali for long-term use in overweight and obese individuals suffering from chronic cough.

(6) The formulation could alleviate cough resulting from lung tuberculosis and tumour or cancer of respiratory tract, but it is not the remedy for these underlying conditions.

(7) If the sputum is mixed with blood or frank blood is coughed out, do not attempt to treat cough with Pippali powder.

(8) Stop medication with Pippali powder, if symptoms aggravate and dryness of mouth, excessive thirst and burning sensation in the body and urine appear.

(9) Owing to the hot and lubricating nature of Pippali, its excessive and long-term use is contraindicated in Ayurvedic literature. Ignorance about this fact may lead to untoward symptoms.

(10) Individuals with heat-dominating temperament and body constitution and menstruating and pregnant women should be careful in observing any unwanted effects while consuming Pippali powder. In case of adverse effects medical advice should be sought promptly.

(11) Proper medical advice should be taken, if cough accompanies difficulty in breathing, swelling of face or feet, high grade fever, expectoration with foul-smelling yellowish-green phlegm, blood in sputum, difficulty in lying down, night sweating and unintentional weight loss.

(12) Pippali powder has a potent antifertility activity; therefore, it must be used with caution in the first trimester of pregnancy. Women planning for pregnancy should avoid use of Pippali powder. However, the baby is not harmed if a lactating mother is taking this medication.

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Trikatu Powder for Common Cold

The word “cold” is a catch-all term that describes symptoms such as sneezing, wet nose, running nose, scratchy throat, heaviness in head, body ache, headache, indigestion, nausea, stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. Trikatu powder consists of fine powder of three pungent drugs viz. Shunthi, Maricha and Pippali in equal proportion. Shunthi is the dried rhizome of ginger. Maricha is the dried fruit of black pepper and Pippali is the dried fruit of long pepper.

Trikatu is a simple herbal preparation with which common cold can be managed successfully taking prescribed precautions:

• Patients suffering from common cold should prevent direct exposure to cold wind, intake of heavy meals, drinking of cold water, suppression of natural urges of stools, urine and flatus, sleeping on the floor and during daytime.
• Light meals with spicy, sour and salty taste, curd, garlic, frequent drinking of warm water, fresh radish, brinjal (eggplant), and hot soup of green gram are helpful in common cold.
• Covering head with cap or any warm cloth, steam bath, head massage, gargles with warm water and avoidance of anger facilitate recovery from the common cold.

Dose and mode of administration

Adult dose of Trikatu is 2 grams given three times a day preferably with warm milk or water or honey.

In children the dose may be reduced according to the age and can be given in a dose of 125 mg to 500 mg thrice a day.

Another way is – add Trikatu powder to one cup of milk, boil it for a few minutes and take it warm.

Reference – Traditional Herbal Remedies for Primary Health Care

Pippalimoola Powder for Headache

Headache is defined as a pain in the head or upper neck. Headache can be a symptom of an underlying serious disease or it can be a disease itself. Headache can be due to many causes. Common benign causes of headache include: migraine, refractory error, mental tension, sinusitis, flu, viral fever, typhoid, etc. Some of the serious and lifethreatening causes of headache include cerebral haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, intracranial space occupying lesions (tumour), acute and chronic meningitis, brain abscess, etc.

Trigeminal neuralgia can be a difficult and intractable cause of headache though not life threatening. Sudden and severe headache associated with symptoms like high fever, vomiting, convulsion, visual symptoms, stiffness in the neck and loss of consciousness warrant urgent medical attention. Mild to moderate headache without any specificity can be managed with simple remedies such as Pippalimoola, which is specifically documented for the management of headache in Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia, Ayurvedic formulary and in various classical texts.

Dose and mode of administration

Dose of the powder for adults is 2 to 3 grams and for children it is 250 mg to 500 mg, to be taken twice daily, preferably on an empty stomach mixed with 3 to 5 gm of ghee or butter or honey and followed by warm water or milk.

Precautions and safety aspects

(1) No toxic effect or adverse reaction is reported with recommended dose of Pippali root powder.

(2) Pippali root should be used with caution in the first trimester of pregnancy. However, it is safe for the baby if a nursing mother is taking this medication.

(3) Pippalimool is hot in nature, so should be used with caution in summer and by hot temperament individuals and menstruating women.

(4) During medication with Pippalimool, diet should be simple, easily digestible and free from spicy and pungent-bitter-astringent food items.

Reference – Traditional Herbal Remedies for Primary Health Care

Therapeutic properties: Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, expectorant, digestive, carminative.

Teeth also may be cleaned with the fine powder of Trikatu (Sunthi, Pippali and Maricha) added to honey.

Trikatu Powder for Common Cold: 

Adult dose of Trikatu is 2 grams given three times a day preferably with warm milk or water or honey. In children the dose may be reduced according to the age and can be given in a dose of 125 mg to 500 mg thrice a day. Another way is – add Trikatu powder to one cup of milk, boil it for a few minutes and take it warm.   Trikatu is used in combination with honey to alleviate diseases such as colds, rhinitis, cough, breathlessness, asthma, dyspepsia and obesity. It also improves the digestive power.   Medication with Trikatu is not advisable for pregnant women. However, it is safe for the baby if a nursing mother is taking this medication.

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English name – Long pepper

Latin name – Piper longum Linn.

Family – Piperaceae

Part used – Fruits

Use of Pippali as a multipurpose drug is first documented in Charaka Samhita, where it is listed among Rasayana (rejuvenative and immuno-enhancer) drugs and largely mentioned for the treatment of cough, respiratory distress, gastro-intestinal disorders, pulmonary tuberculosis etc. Besides codified knowledge about its uses, Pippali is largely used as a home remedy and in folk medicine. Long pepper is a commonly used spice in India and other Asian countries and its medicinal usage is quite popular, particularly for the treatment of common ailments of childhood. Regarded as a drug of choice for cough of different origins, Pippali powder is widely used by Ayurvedic practitioners in India not only for symptomatic control but also for the treatment of root causes of cough affecting the naso-respiratory, digestive and blood systems. This popular plant medicine is even indicated for naso-respiratory allergy and tuberculosis of lungs and for immunodeficiency conditions. Pippali is described in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia and in formulations in Ayurvedic Formulary of India. Being simple, the formulation can be easily prepared at home for personal use. Scientific studies have proven its bio-availability enhancing, liver protective and immuno-stimulatory actions.

Therapeutic properties

Pippali powder has anti-inflammatory, anti-phlegmatic, decongestant, anti-spasmodic, expectorant, anti-allergic, appetizer, anthelmintic, immunostimulatory and tonic properties.

Dose and mode of administration for Cough

The adult dose of the formulation is 1 gram to 3 grams and the children’s dose is 125 mg to 250 mg, two or three times a day, mixed with honey or warm water. Honey is the best vehicle for consuming Pippali powder. Jaggery or liquorice root powder may be used in place of honey, if the cough is dry, irritating and persistent. Warm water should be taken after consuming the medicine to facilitate its swallowing and fast absorption.