These dried fruits belonging to a plant called Kabab Chini and Tailed Pepper | Cubeb in English has amazing health benefits. From treating fever and indigestion to getting rid of dandruff, it does have wide medicinal uses. Here in our home, we make hair oil, mouth wash, tea and we also use it for making potpourri.
What Is Kabab Chini?
They are the fruits of a plant, the fruits called cubeb berries closely resemble our regular black pepper but it has a small tail and hence the name tailed pepper. It is mostly widely cultivated in Java and that is why it is also called Java pepper. This plant belongs to the genus piper and it is cultivated mainly for the fruits and essential oil.
Cubeb berries have a spicy aromatic smell and it is used as a seasoning in cooking in certain countries and as a flavoring in certain drinks. In India, we rarely or never use tailed pepper in our cooking but it has been used in Unani and Ayurvedic medicine for many many years. It has diuretic, anti asthmatic, antiseptic, anti inflammatory, anti dysentery, expectorant, emmenagogue, stomachic and sedative properties.
Kabab Chini Common Names:
Its botanical name is Piper Cubeba. We call it Val Milagu in Tamil, Toka Miriyalu in Telugu, Balamenasu in Kannada, Kankol in Marathi, Chinikabab in Gujarati, Valmulaku in Malayalam and Kabab Chini in Hindi, Benglai & Urdu. (I might be wrong about the names and if I am, please do correct me in the comment section)
Kabab Chini Medicinal Uses:
1. Kabab Chini For Mouth Odour:
2. Anti Bacterial & Anti Fungal Properties:
3. Kabab Chini For Cold & Cough:
4. Kabab Chini For Inflammation:
5. Anti Estrogenic Properties:
Kabab Chini Side Effects:
5 Top Medicinal Uses & Health Benefits Of Kabab Chini | Cubeb | Piper Cubeba:
1. Cubeb For Cough:
For cough, pound cubeb in a mortar and pestle very finely. Take 2 pinches of the pounded mixture mixed along with honey. This remedy will give immediate relief but if not you can take it once more after a gap of 5 to 6 hours.
2. Cubeb For Dandruff:
For dandruff, we make hair oil using unrefined sesame oil, fenugreek leaves, cubeb and haritaki, very very effective for treating all scalp infections. It can be used as a pre-shampoo treatment. You can find the recipe here.
3. Cubeb Mouthwash:
This is a very very effective mouth wash that is a very good home remedy for mouth odor. For the mouth wash, boil 1/4 tsp of pounded cubeb along with 1 small broken Ceylon cinnamon and a cup of water for a few minutes and strain. Use it as a mouthwash.
4. Cubeb for Mild Fever & Indigestion:
For treating mild fevers and indigestion, take a handful of holy basil leaves and slightly pound them along with 1/8 tsp of cubeb. Take the pounded mixture, 1/4 tsp organic turmeric powder, a dash of black pepper and a cup of water in a bowl and boil till it reduces in half, strain and add honey to taste. A very very good remedy for treating mild fevers and stomach problems.
5. Cubeb For Potpourri:
Like cinnamon and star anise, cubeb has a wonderful smell on it’s own and is great for adding it to potpourri. I always have potpourri at home and add fragrant ingredients to it that I like and cubeb is one such ingredient.
Greetings and good wishes to you. Thank you vert much for all these useful information on herbs and spices. Here's a query and a request – are you familiar with the following herbs and can you please write about them. Are they (or their equivalent herbs) found here in India and if so, their names.1. Dandelion 2.Burdock Root 3.Yellow Dock 4.Uva ursi 5. Echinacea 6.Goldenseal 7. Black Cohosh 8. Milk Thistle
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These herbs are not common in India but I have noted them and will write about them in the coming weeks…