Latin name: Piper retrofractum
Other
name(s): Long pepper, bi ba (C),
Indonesian
name: Cabai Jawa
This herb is native to Indonesia
Branches rise from the ligneous base of the
stem. It has a single stalk leaf, oval or egg-shaped, 8.5 – 30 centimeters in
length and 3 – 13 centimeter wide, with smooth edges and is round on the base
with a sharp tip. The upper side of the green colored leaf is smooth, while the
underside is doted.
The mono-cotyle round flowers are structured
like grains that grow erect, where the male grain structure is longer than the
female. The long stalked fruit is cylindrical with a narrow tip, and has an uneven
surface with regular bulging. The ripe fruit is 2 – 7 centimeters long with a
diameter of 4 – 8 millimeters.
The young fruits are green in color, hard and
spicy and grow to be ivory yellow, before finally become red, soft and sweet.
The seeds are round and flat, hard and dark brown in color. Cultivation is done
by seed planting and stem cutting.
MEDICINAL
PART: half ripe fruits, dried leaves and roots. The fruits are hot and spicy
that enters the spleen and stomach meridians. The roots are spicy and warm in
taste.
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS: Fruits: warming, analgesic,
increase perspiration, carminative, stimulant and aphrodisiac. Roots: tonic;
diuretic; stomachic; emenagogue.
INDICATION: Fruits: abdominal cramps,
vomiting, gas in stomach, stomachache; dysentery, diarrhea; constipation
accompanying hepatitis; headache, toothache; cough, fever; runny nose;
impotence; labor difficulties; neurasthenia; low blood pressure. Roots: gas in
stomach; indigestion; infertility; post natal care; malaise; stroke; rheumatoid
arthritis, gout, lumbago. Leaves: abdominal cramps, toothache.
DOSAGE AND USAGE:
General: For internal 2.5 – 5 grams of fruit
or roots to be made pills or decoction. For external usage, particularly
toothache, you may fine grind the dried fruit and directly apply the powder
into the dental caries. You may as well mix the powder in a glass of pure water
and use it as mouth wash.
Specific usage:
Neurastenia
Ingredients:
Cabai Jawa (Piper retrofractum, Long pepper) – 6 fruits
Alang-alang (Imperata cylindrical, Coarse grass) – 3 stalks
Daun sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata folia, green chiretta) – 1 handful of fresh
leaves
Gula enau (Palm sugar) – 3 finger-size cuts
Wash the ingredients and cut to small pieces.
Boil in 4 glasses of pure water until left to 2¼ glasses. Strain after cooling.
Dosage: ¾ glass 3 times a day until condition gets better.
Catch a cold
Cabai Jawa (Piper retrofractum, Long pepper) – 3 fruits
Daun poko (Mentha arvensis) – ¾ handful of fresh leaves
Daun kesumba keling (Bixa orellana - leaves) – ¾ handful of fresh leaves
Gula enau (Palm sugar) – 3 finger-size cuts
Wash the ingredients and cut to small pieces.
Boil in 4 glasses of pure water until left to 2¼ glasses. Strain after cooling.
Dosage: ¾ glass 3 times a day until condition gets better.
Post natal care tonic
Akar cabai Jawa (Piper retrofractum radix, Long pepper roots) – 3 grams
Fine grind the roots and steep it with 1 cup
of boiled water. Drink this while warm once, every day for one week.
Indigestion, cough, epilepsy, post natal fever, and to strengthen stomach, heart and lungs
Fine grind the 5 grams of the dried cabai
Jawa and steep it with 1 cup of boiled water. Add adequate amount of honey, and
stir well. Drink this while warm at once, every day.
Toothache
(1)
Clean
wash and grind 3 cabai Jawa leaves. Steep with ½ glass of boiled water and
strain. Use the liquid for mouth wash
(2)
Clean
wash a string of the root and chew it for a while, before spitting it out.
Abdominal cramps
Clean wash and grind 5 cabai Jawa leaves.
Steep it with 1 glass of boiled water. Strain and drink this while warm.
Constipation in hepatitis
Ingredients:
Cabai Jawa fruits – 3 fruits
Lempuyang wangi (Zingiber aromaticum - rhizome) -1 thumb-size cut of the rhizome
Grind the fruit and the rhizome. Add 1
tablespoon of boiled water and stir well. Squeeze the mixture and tap the sap.
Drink the sap at once.
Fever
Fine grind 3 grams of the dried fruits and
steep with ½ glass of boiled water and stir well. Drink it without straining.
CONTRA-INDICATIONS: Pregnant woman and
patients with heart burning sensation should not take any jamu recipe
containing cabai Jawa.
IMPORTANT
NOTE
The recipes and techniques
mentioned in this page are not meant to replace diagnosis and treatment of a
medical practioner. Before using any of these recipes, the author recommends to
consult a physician. All the recipes has been used without any side effects and
are considered safe. However, since some people have more sensitive skin or
digestive system than others, and since the user’s actual recipe preparation is
beyond the control of the author, the author accept no liability with regard to
the use of recipes or techniques contained in this page
