SYNONYMS –
Sansk. : Vellaja, Krishna, Ushana
Assam. : —
Beng. : Golmorich, Kalamorich, Morich
Eng. : Black Pepper
Guj. : Kalimori
Hindi. : Kalimirch
Kan. : Karimonaru, Menaru
Kash. : —
Mal. : Kurumulaku
Mar. : Kalamiri
Ori. : —
Punj. : Galmirich, Kalimirch
Tam. : Milagu
Tel. : Miriyalu, Marichamu
Urdu. : Filfil Siyah, Kalimirich
DESCRIPTION –
a) Macroscopic:
Fruits greyish-black to black, hard, wrinkled, 0.4-0.5 cm in dia.; odour, aromatic; taste, pungent.
b) Microscopic:
Fruit consists of a thick pericarp for about one third of fruit and an inner mass of perisperm, enclosing a small embryo; pericarp consists of epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp; epicarp composed of single layered, slightly sinuous, tabular cells forming epidermis, below which, are present 1 or 2 layers of radially elongated, lignified stone cells adjacent to group of cells of parenchyma; mesocarp wide, composed of band of tangentially elongated parenchymatous cells having a few isolated, tangentially elongated oil cells present in outer region and a few fibro-vascular bundles, a single row of oil cells in the inner region of mesocarp; endocarp composed of a row of beakershaped stone cells; testa single layered, yellow coloured, thick-walled sclerenchymatous cells; perisperm contains parenchymatous cells having a few oil globules and packed with abundant, oval to round, simple and compound starch grains measuring 5.5-11.0 µ in dia.; having 2-3 components and a few minute aleurone grains. ]
Powder – Blackish-grey; shows debris with a characteristic, in groups, more or less isodiametric or slightly elongated stone cells, interspersed with thin-walled, polygonal hypodermal cells; beaker-shaped stone cells from endocarp and abundant polyhedral, elongated cells from peri sperm, packed tightly with masses of minute compound and single, oval to round, starch grains measuring 5.5-11.0 µ in dia.; having 2-3 component and a few aleurone grains and oil globules.
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids (Piperine, Chavicine, Piperidine, Piperetine) and Essential Oil.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION –
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Ruksha, Tikshna
Virya : Ushna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : sleshmahara, Dipana, Medohara, Pittakara, Rhucya, Kaphavatajit Vatahara, Chedana, Jantunasana, Chedi, Hridroga, Vataroga.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Maricadi Gutika, Maricadi Taila, Trikatu Churna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Swasha, shula, Krimiroga, Tvagroga
DOSE – 250 mg – 1 g. of the drug in powder form.
