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Piper methysticum
Piperaceae FAMILY

Piper methysticum

Piper methysticum

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

Used in excess, the root can cause stupor[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitShrub
Growth—

A plant of the wet, lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 800 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 35°c, but can tolerate 14 - 40°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,200 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 1,800 - 5,000mm[2]. Prefers a shady position when young, although older plants are more tolerant of sunny positions[3]. Prefers a well-drained, stony soil with ample water[1]. Succeeds in most soils of at least moderate fertility[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[2]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[2]. A slow-growing plant[2]. At the age of 10 months the average root weight is about 1 kilo per plant[2]. The crop is potentially profitable when harvested after 3 - 4 years[2]. The life span of the plant may be 15 - 30 years[2].

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings of half-ripe wood[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Piper+methysticum>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  2. [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  3. [3]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  4. [4]Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for Sustainability — W.C. Clarke and R.R. Thaman (Editors) · United Nations University Press, Tokyo · 1993 · http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80824e/80824E00.htm#Contents · ISBN 92-808-0824-9 ↩︎The guide includes information on 100 species of plants for Agroforestry. It is also available on the web at the address given above.
  5. [5]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  6. [6]Medicinal Plants in the South Pacific — WHO Regional Publications, Manilla. · 1998 · ISBN 92-9061-118-9 ↩︎Excellent guide to 102 medicinal herbs of the Pacific Islands, with photographs of each plant and details of their constituents, biological activities and traditional uses. A description of each plant, together with habitat and distribution is given.
  7. [7]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  8. [8]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.