Black Pepper – the climber plant known as king of spices is everyone’s favourite. India, particularly Kerala, is famous for this Indian spice. In addition to adding flavour to dishes, it’s also widely used for many Ayurvedic treatments. Its chilly flavour is due to the presence of Paeonine Alkaloid, and its seeds contain the essence of certain medicines that evaporate easily. Through this column I am providing a few medicinal purposes of pepper.
Ayurvedic Uses of Black Pepper
1. Pepper is best for cough treatment. If pepper powder is mixed with sugar, ghee and honey and served, it serves as a best remedy for cough.
2. Solution to breathing problems – If pepper is served with rock candy (crystallized sugar) and honey it reduces breathing problems.
3. It’s a good remedy for whooping cough if served as ‘Kashayam’ (ayurveda medicine prepared by boiling all ingredients together). Kashayam is prepared using pepper, cumin seeds, sweet flag (calamus) and turmeric and served along with rock candy.
4. For good digestion – Make a fine paste pepper and cumin seeds using ginger juice (all taken in equal amount) and serve it three times a day regularly. Another ‘pepper medicine’ for digestion – Take equal proportions of pepper, dried ginger, trippali, rock salt and fennel seeds. Make a fine powder and serve 5 gms twice a day with warm water before food.
5. Treatment for cold, asthma and whooping cough – Mix a little turmeric powder and black pepper powder in a glass of milk and take it continuously for three days.
6. Quick relief from cough – Powder dried ginger and pepper and serve it, along with a little rock candy to get relief from cough.
7. If you have a cramp or joint pain, heat pepper leaves and gently massage it on those affected areas to get relief.
8. For dental problems – If you clean your teeth two times a day regularly using salt and pepper powder, you can get rid of tooth pain. It also blocks plague, tooth decay, bad smell and bleeding gum.
9. For throat swelling too – there is a quick remedy with pepper. Boil milk, adding sugar, pepper powder and turmeric powder. Mix the contents well and drink this hot mixture. Use it before it starts cooling.
10. A remedy for Tonsillitis – Prepare a kashayam (herbal juice prepared by boiling all ingredients together) using dried ginger, garlic and pepper and have it before it cools.
11. Another remedy for Tonsillitis – Make a powder of pepper, dried ginger and long pepper (pipli) and have it along with honey or crystallised sugar (rock candy). Half tea spoon is sufficient.
12. For sore throat – Drink regularly water boiled with pepper. If you have trouble in speaking due to cold, Adhatoda juice can be mixed with pepper powder and served to get quick relief.
13. Remedy for tooth ache – If stem of this climber is made kashayam and used as a mouthwash, it’s a good remedy for toothache.
14. Relief from cold – Boil well coriander, dried ginger and pepper together by adding sufficient water. Serve it to get relief from cold.
15. Good for heart patients – If you add pepper to your diet daily, it’s good for heart patients. It makes the blood flow to the heart easier.
16. For fever at intervals – take pepper, puthumba samoolam and basil 60 gms altogether. Boil in 1 litre water to prepare the kashayam of 1/4 litre. Serve 4 ounces of this kashayam twice a day to get relief from fever.
17. For piles – Take 30 gm pepper powder, 15 gm fenugreek powder and 15 gm fennel seeds. Mix these three in 5 ounce honey to make a fine paste and serve twice a day 5 gm each.
Disclaimer: Though I have prepared this column based on a magazine column, it’s better to ask suggestions from your Ayurvedic doctor before trying them. Though all of them are herbal products with fewer side effects, I can’t deny the fact that many products are allergic to at least a few people for sure.
Image source: Pixabay
Also read a few more topics on India’s old medical system of treatment – Ayurveda, and how it’s still relevant in the age of today’s lifestyle diseases. Click on the links to read
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