Botanical Name: Piper Nigrum

Origin: Southern India

Safety data: To be used sparingly in cases where kidney disorder is present.

Use 1.5% dilution in fevers, 3% dilution in other cases except where prolonged treatment is necessary, in which case use 1.5% in order to avoid possible local irritation.

Pepper (Piper nigrum) is a woody climbing plant, native to East Asia. In its natural state it can climb as high as 20 feet, but when grown commercially it is usually pruned to a maximum of 12 feet for convenience.

It has been known as both a medicinal and a culinary spice in the Far East for over 4,000 years, and in Europe from at least the 5th century. Like many spices, it was highly prized, and Attila the Hun is reputed to have demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of the ransom for the city of Rome.