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Botanical illustration of Pepper Elder
MedicinalSourced entry

Pepper Elder

Piper amalago

A plant in the pepper family whose leaves are made into a Jamaican bush tea for colds and flu. Research so far is mostly in rats.

What is Pepper Elder?

Plant family
Piperaceae, the pepper family
Parts used
The leaves
Where it grows
Native to the Caribbean and Latin America
Genus
Piper
Species
amalago

Also called

Pepper Elders

Traditionally used for

  • Colds
  • Flu
  • Inflammation (traditional)
  • Anxiety (traditional)
  • Wounds

Traditionally described as

  • May increase urination (in animal studies)

Health topics

Where Pepper Elder appears in symptom search, and why. Being listed doesn't mean it's a proven treatment.

Traditions that use it

  • Caribbean Folk Medicine

    In Jamaica, a leaf tea is an anecdotal remedy for colds and flu.

Safety

Toxicity testing

  • In rats given an alcohol-based leaf extract every day for 28 days, it caused liver changes and changes in blood tests. The researchers advise using it with caution, especially for long periods. It didn't damage DNA.[1]

    Technical detail: 100, 200 or 300 mg/kg by mouth in female Wistar rats; increased liver weight and relative heart and kidney weights, liver histopathology changes, lower hematocrit and albumin, higher platelets, alkaline phosphatase and cholesterol. No genotoxicity in mice at up to 1750 mg/kg.

What does the research say?

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

  • In Jamaica, pepper elder is an anecdotal remedy for colds and flu. 1 to 2 teaspoons of leaves are brewed in a cup of water, left to steep for about 10 minutes, and sweetened as desired. How it might work against viruses is unknown.[2]

  • In Brazilian traditional medicine, it's used for inflammation, chest pain and anxiety.[3]

  • It's traditionally used to ease pain and inflammation, to increase urination, and against parasites.[1]

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

  • In rats, single doses of leaf extracts and the essential oil caused no deaths or organ damage. Given daily for 7 days, they increased urination without lowering blood pressure or changing the heart's rhythm. One extract relaxed blood vessels in lab tests.[3]

    Technical detail: volatile oil, aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts; increased urine volume and electrolyte excretion; hydroalcoholic extract caused vasodilation in isolated mesenteric vascular beds via the nitric oxide/cGMP pathway and voltage-dependent potassium channels.

Research in people

  • In a single case report, a person with type 2 diabetes soaked a cut thumb in water in which dried leaves had been boiled, with the leaves placed on the wound. The wound healed over 15 days. This was one case, not a controlled study.[4]

In short

Long-term daily use caused liver and blood changes in rats; use with caution, especially for long periods.

Sources

  1. [1] Evaluation of the safety of ethanolic extract from Piper amalago L. (Piperaceae) leaves in vivo: Subacute toxicity and genotoxicity studies — Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology · DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105118Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Antiviral Activity of Jamaican Medicinal Plants and Isolated Bioactive Compounds — Molecules · DOI: 10.3390/molecules26030607Peer-reviewed study
  3. [3] The Cardiorenal Effects of Piper amalago Are Mediated by the Nitric Oxide/Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate Pathway and the Voltage-Dependent Potassium Channels — Pharmaceuticals · DOI: 10.3390/ph16111630Peer-reviewed study
  4. [4] The wound healing effect of aqueous extract from Piper amalago L. in diabetic patient — Explore · DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2019.12.001Peer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.