A REVIEW ON BIOACTIVE CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS, TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF PIPER NIGRUM L. SEEDS: DEMAND OF THE TIME:

Medicinal plants are very popular in different traditional systems of medicines due to their diverse Pharmacological potentials and lesser side effects in biological systems. Moreover, only a very limited number of plants have been studied and scrutinized in detail; thereby prompting WHO to recommend that this area be comprehensively investigated. Black pepper fruit (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the most famous pungency and flavored spices in the world, it is known as the king of spices. It contains a pungent alkaloid ‘‘piperine’’ which is known to possess many pharmacological actions. It has numerous bioactive effects on the human body. One of these benefits is its noticeable antibacterial activity. Recent scientific researchers have established the presence of many active compounds in this spice that are known to possess specific pharmacological properties. The therapeutic efficacy of this individual spice for specific pharmacological actions has also been established by experimental and clinical studies. Piperine which is an alkaloid that has diverse pharmacological activities like antioxidant, anti- obesity, antitumor, antipyretic, anticonvulsant, anti-tussive, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, anti-asthmatic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, bioavailability enhancer, immunomodulator, anticancer, anticonvulsant diuretic, aphrodisiac, blood purifier and antiplatelet activities, etc. The current review article is aimed to provide an updated literature review on recent advancement of pharmacognosy, chemistry and pharmacological activities of Piper nigrum L.