Long Pepper
Long Pepper (Cylindrical, curved small berries, dark brown, aggregates of achenes on the fruit spike, small protuberances, hard, brittle and easy to break, pungent and aromatic)
【Naming】
【Source】
Song Kaibao
【Common Usage】
E
【Botanical Origin】
The dried immature fruit spikes of Piper longum L. of the Piperaceae family.
【Characteristics】
Cylindrical, slightly curved, resembling mulberries in shape, 2-4.5cm long and 5-8mm in diameter. The surface is dark brown, consisting of numerous small, immature achenes and sepals fused to the fruit axis to form aggregates of achenes, arranged tightly and neatly, forming interlaced small protrusions. The small achenes are slightly spherical, approximately 1mm in diameter. The texture is hard and brittle, easily broken. It has a distinctive pepper aroma and a pungent, spicy taste.
【Identification】
《Concise Materia Medica》: “Soak in three liters of wine for twenty days, the longer the better.” The best quality is dry, large, dark brown in color, firm in texture, and slightly reddish on the cut surface.
【Category】
Fruits