Piper sarmentosum
StarPiper sarmentosum
Synonyms: Piper allenii, Peperomia sarmentosa, Piper diffusum, Piper albispicum, Piper baronii, Piper lolot, Piper brevicaule, Piper siassiense, Piper saigonense, Piper zamboangae, Chavica hainana, Piper hainana, Piper pierrei, Piper gymnostachyum
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Southeast Asian and Indian folk medicine the leaves and roots of Piper sarmentosum are used to treat cough, fever, toothache, diabetes and fungal skin infections, the foliage being chewed or applied and decoctions taken internally (Wiart, 2006; Khare, 2007). Modern pharmacological study supports anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and hypoglycaemic activity for the species (Sun et al., 2020).
Gallery
Botanical Description
Piper sarmentosum is a creeping, perennial herb of the pepper family reaching 30-60 cm in height, spreading by rooting stolons across moist forest floors. The slender, jointed stems bear alternate, broadly ovate to heart-shaped leaves 7-15 cm long, glossy deep green, with palmate venation and a peppery, slightly aromatic scent when crushed. Tiny flowers are crowded on short, erect, cylindrical spikes arising opposite the leaves, the plant being functionally dioecious. The fruit is a small, fleshy, rounded drupe aggregated along the spike, ripening greenish to dark. Native to South and Southeast Asia, it ranges from India and southern China through Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, growing in shaded, humid lowland forest, thickets and stream banks. It is widely cultivated as a leaf vegetable, the foliage ('wild betel', 'la lot', 'cha plu', 'kadok') used as a wrapping leaf in regional cuisines.
Active Constituents
Sarmentine
Unsaturated amide (piperamide)Concentration: Characteristic amide of the plant
A signature isobutyl/pyrrolidine-type amide of P. sarmentosum associated with the plant's antimicrobial, insecticidal and metabolic activities.
Pellitorine
Isobutylamide (piperamide)Concentration: Major amide in petroleum-ether/leaf extracts
A pungent unsaturated isobutylamide with reported cytotoxic, antimicrobial, insecticidal and anti-inflammatory activity.
Piperine
Piperidine alkaloid/amideConcentration: Present among the amide/alkaloid fraction
The classic pungent Piper amide, known as a bioavailability enhancer and inhibitor of drug-metabolising enzymes and transporters; contributes anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
Sarmentosine and other piperamides (piperlonguminine, retrofractamides, brachystamide)
Unsaturated amidesConcentration: Minor to moderate
Additional Piper amides contributing to the neuromuscular, antimicrobial and antinflammatory profile of extracts.
Flavonoids (vitexin, isovitexin, rutin, quercetin derivatives)
Flavone / flavonol glycosidesConcentration: Notable in leaf aqueous extracts
Water-soluble antioxidants that account for much of the antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic and reported antihypertensive and antidiabetic activity of leaf extracts.
β-Sitosterol and other phytosterols
PhytosterolConcentration: Minor lipophilic fraction
Common plant sterols with anti-inflammatory activity present in the non-polar extracts.
Essential oil (myristicin, β-caryophyllene, asaricin, monoterpenes)
Volatile terpenoids and phenylpropanoidsConcentration: Small volatile fraction of leaves and fruit
Aromatic volatiles that add antimicrobial, larvicidal and antioxidant activity.
⚠ Drug Interactions
CYP3A4 / P-glycoprotein substrate drugs
The plant contains piperine and related amides; piperine inhibits CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein and can raise plasma levels of co-administered substrate drugs. This is extrapolated from piperine rather than proven for the whole extract.
Clinical note: Theoretical caution with narrow-therapeutic-index CYP3A4/P-gp substrates when large medicinal amounts are consumed; culinary use is unlikely to matter.
Antidiabetic medicines
Leaf extracts show hypoglycaemic activity in animal models, giving a theoretical additive effect with glucose-lowering drugs.
Clinical note: Monitor glucose only with concentrated or regular medicinal use.
Antihypertensive drugs
Antihypertensive/vasorelaxant activity reported in preclinical studies could add to blood-pressure medication.
Clinical note: Monitor blood pressure with medicinal-strength preparations.
Preparation Methods
Culinary leaf / fresh vegetable
Parts: leaves
Fresh leaves ('daun kaduk', 'cha phlu', 'la lot' relatives) are eaten raw as a wrap or added to Southeast Asian dishes, giving a mild everyday dietary intake of the plant's constituents.
Decoction of leaves or roots
Parts: leaves, roots, whole plant
Leaves or roots are boiled in water and the liquid taken traditionally for cough, fever, toothache, rheumatic joint pain and diabetes. Medicinal decoctions should be used cautiously given limited human safety data.
Topical poultice
Parts: leaves, roots
Crushed leaves or roots are applied locally for toothache, muscular and joint pain and skin complaints in traditional Southeast Asian practice.
Clinical Studies
Piper sarmentosum Roxb.: A review on its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities
Comprehensive review documenting more than 140 constituents (amides, alkaloids, flavonoids, lignans, essential oil) and in vitro / in vivo evidence for anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, anti-osteoporotic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities; no randomized human clinical trials were identified.
Historical Texts
Traditional Chinese Medicine (as 'jia ju', 假蒟)
Classical to modernThai and Malay traditional medicine
Traditional, documented in modern ethnobotanical recordsReferences
- Sun X, Chen W, Dai W, et al.. Piper sarmentosum Roxb.: A review on its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2020) [DOI]
- Rahman SFSA, Sijam K, Omar D. Piper sarmentosum Roxb.: A Mini Review of Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology . Journal of Analytical & Pharmaceutical Research (2016) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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