Recent studies on well-known spice, Piper longum Linn.

Abstract

The fruits of Piper longum Linn. are very well-known medicine for diseases of the respiratory tract, viz. cough, bronchitis, asthma, etc.; as counterirritant, analgesic when applied locally for muscular pains and inflammation and as general tonic and hematinic. They are carminative and known to enhance the bioavailability of food and drugs. In this paper recently developed micropropagation method by tissue culture and molecular basis of genotypic differentiation between the male and female plants, using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique and development of sex associated DNA markers have been discussed along with some medicinal and pharmacological properties of the spice.