Indian Medicinal Plants

Pisonia aculeata Linn. 493
Habitat ◮
Ayurvedic ◮
Folk ◮
Assam and Bengal.
Vana-Pippali.
Pahaari Peepal.
Action ◮ Fruit—carminative. Aerial
parts—diuretic.
The root yielded a lignin, sesamin;
amides (including piperine, piperlongumine)
and beta-sitosterol.
Piper thomsoni Hook. f.
Family ◮
Piperaceae.
Habitat ◮ Sikkim, Bengal, Manipur,
Khasi and Jaintia hills.
Folk ◮ Jangali Paan.
Action ◮ Root—(macerated in water)
diuretic.
Piper wallichii Hand.-Mazz.
Synonym ◮ P. aurantiacum Wall ex
DC.
Family ◮ Piperaceae.
Habitat ◮ Nepal, Lakhimpur and
Khasi Hills in Assam.
Ayurvedic ◮ Wrongly equated with
Sambhaaluka. (Sambhaalu has
been identified as Vitex negundo.)
Renukaa is also a wrong synonym
(it is equated with the seed of Vitex
agnus-castus).
Siddha/Tamil ◮
Kaattu-milagu.
Action ◮ Fruits—used as uterine
stimulant.
The fruit contain piperine, piperettine
and sylvatine, besides beta-sitosterol.
The seeds gave aurantiamide, its
acetate and auranamide.
The fraction, containing alkaloids,
showed oxytocic activity. The lignin
constituents inhibited platelet aggregation
caused by platelet-activating factor.
Piscidia piscipula (Linn.) Sarg.
Synonym ◮
Family ◮
P. erythrina Linn.
Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.
Habitat ◮ Native to America;
introduced in India.
English ◮ Jamaica Dogwood.
Action ◮ Sedative, spasmolytic,
analgesic, anti-inflammatory.
The bark gave several, isoflavonoids.
Piscidone and piscerythrone exhibit
spasmolytic activity. Piscidin glycoside
and rotenone are toxic constituents.
The bark is used for neuralgia, migraine
and insomnia in South America
and West Indies.
In some in vitro tests, the root bark’s
extract exhibited antispasmodic effectsasstrongaspapaverine’s(Natural
Medicines Comprehensive Database,
2007.)
Pisonia aculeata Linn.
Family ◮
Nyctaginaceae.
Habitat ◮ The sea coast in Peninsular
India, also in the Andaman Islands.
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Karindu.
Folk ◮ Baghachuur (Bengal).
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