About Piper sarmentosum Roxb.
Piper sarmentosum Roxb. is a perennial herb with creeping rhizomes and a striped stem that grows up to 40 cm high. Its leaves are thin and heart-shaped, measuring 8–10 cm long and 8–11 cm wide. The leaves have 5 main veins originating from the base of the leaf blade, oil glands on their upper surface, and fine veins on their underside. Leaf petioles are 2.5–3 cm long. Erect white spikes 1–2 cm long emerge from the leaf axils. This species occurs naturally in tropical regions across Southeast Asia, Northeast India, South China, and the Andaman Islands. A pre-tsunami living collection of this taxon from the Andaman Islands is held in ex situ conservation outside the islands at the Field Gene Bank of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Trivandrum, India. The leaves of Piper sarmentosum are used in traditional Asian medicines. Chemical analysis has confirmed that the leaves contain the antioxidant naringenin. Amides isolated from the fruit of P. sarmentosum have demonstrated anti-tuberculosis and anti-plasmodial activities. In 2010, this plant was tested against multiple bacterial species: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
