PIPER AC E^. 



Fig. 245. 



565 



P. nigrum. 



The Pepper vine is a native of various parts of the East Indies, and is ex- 

 tensively cultivated in Sumatra, Java, Malabar, &c. It is propagated from 

 cuttings, and begins to bear fruit in three or four years from the time of 

 planting. The berries are gathered before they are quite ripe, and dried in 

 the sun. They become wrinkled and black in consequence of the drying of 

 the pulp over the grayish-white seed. In this state they are known as Black 

 Pepper ; if permitted to ripen, and soaked in water so as to permit the outer 

 coat to be removed, they form White Pepper. The principal import of 

 Pepper is from Sumatra and Java. 



Pepper has an aromatic, peculiar odour, and a hot, spicy, pungent taste, 

 most powerful in the black variety. These properties are taken up by alco- 

 hol and ether, and partially by water. It contains an acrid Resin, Volatile 

 oil, a peculiar neutral principle called Piperin, Gum, &c. Piperin was dis- 

 covered by Oersted in 1819. It is crystalline," of a white colour when per- 

 fectly pure, but is usually of a yellowish tint; is tasteless and inodorous, in- 

 soluble in cold water, but slightly soluble in boiling water, wholly soluble in 

 alcohol. It is also taken up by acetic acid. 



Medical Uses. — Pepper is principally employed as a condiment ; but has 

 also been used in medicine, especially in the treatment of intermittent fevers. 

 It is a warm carminative stimulant, causing, when given in over quantity, 

 great arterial excitement, and is considered, in tropical climates, to be more 

 heating than the hot, pungent Capsicum. It is chiefly used to correct the 

 flatulent or griping qualities of certain articles of diet. It has, however, been 



