Pinyin: Bibo
Aliases
Bibo, Bihuali, Yunsheng, Shuwei
Source
Piperaceae plant Bibo (Piper longum L.)Piper longumL.'s dried nearly mature or mature fruit spike.
Botanical Description
Perennial herbaceous vine. Rhizome erect, much branched. Lower stem prostrate, branches horizontal, soft, with longitudinal ridges and grooves, covered with powdery short pubescence when young. Leaves alternate; lower leaves ovate with longer petioles, upper leaves gradually becoming ovate-oblong with shorter petioles, apical leaves sessile, base clasping the stem, veins on the underside pubescent; 7 palmate veins, all basal. Flowers unisexual, dioecious, without perianth; spikes opposite the leaves; male spikes 4-5 cm long, about 3 mm in diameter; peduncle 2-3 cm long, pubescent; bracts suborbicular, peltate; stamens 2, filaments very short; female spikes 1.5-2.5 cm long, about 4 mm in diameter, elongating in fruit; bracts about 1 mm in diameter; ovary ovoid, stigma 3. Berry, lower part adnate to the inflorescence axis, apex with a navel-like protrusion, about 2 mm in diameter. Flowering in spring, fruiting from July to October.
Habitat and Distribution
Born in sparse forests at an altitude of about 600 m. Distributed from southeastern to southwestern Yunnan, cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest when the fruit spike turns from green to black, remove impurities, and sun-dry.
Medicinal Properties
This product is cylindrical in shape, slightly curved, composed of numerous small berries aggregated together, 1.5-3.5 cm long, 0.3-0.5 cm in diameter. The surface is blackish-brown or brown, with neatly arranged oblique small protrusions, with remnants of fruit stalk or abscission scars at the base; the texture is hard and brittle, easily broken, with an uneven, granular fracture surface. Small berries are spherical, approximately 1 mm in diameter. It has a distinctive aromatic odor and a pungent taste.
Chemical Constituents
This product mainly contains piperine, tetrahydropiperic acid, palmitic acid, piperlonguminine, piperundecalidine, piperlongumine, and other components.
Pharmacology
Lowers blood lipids, provides anti-hypoxia effects, protects against myocardial ischemia, and has anti-arrhythmic, sedative, analgesic, and antipyretic effects; exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity; strongly relaxes coronary vessels and intestinal smooth muscle.
Properties and Channel Entry
Pungent, hot. Enters the Stomach and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Warms the Middle Jiao, disperses Cold, descends Qi, and alleviates pain
Dosage and Administration
Take orally: decoct in water, 1-3 g; or prepare as pills or powder
Precautions and Contraindications
Contraindicated in patients with Yin deficiency and Fire hyperactivity.
Prescriptions
1. For cold phlegm with nausea: Bibo (Piper longum), grind into fine powder. Take 1.5 g with clear rice porridge before meals. (Sheng Hui Fang) 2. For migraine: Grind Bibo into powder. Have the patient hold warm water in the mouth; for pain on the left side, sniff the powder into the left nostril; for pain on the right side, sniff into the right nostril. (Jing Yan Hou Fang) 3. For toothache: Bibo and Hujiao (black pepper), equal parts, grind into powder, melt wax and form pills the size of sesame seeds. Place one pill into the cavity of the decayed tooth. (Sheng Ji Zong Lu, Bibo Wan)
