''Peperomia pellucida'' (also known by common names pepper elder, shining bush plant, crab claw herb, and man to man) is an annual, shallow-rooted herb, usually growing to a height of about 15 to 45 cm (6 to 18 inches), it is characterized by succulent stems, shiny, heart-shaped, fleshy leaves and tiny, dot-like seeds attached to several fruiting spikes. It has a mustard-like odor when crushed.

Habitat

Flowering year-round, the plant is found in various shaded, damp habitats all over Asia and the Americas. It grows in clumps, thriving in loose, humid soils and a tropical to subtropical climate.

Uses

''Peperomia pellucida'' has been used as a food item as well as a medicinal herb. Although mostly grown for its ornamental foliage, the entire plant is edible, both cooked and raw.

Pharmacology

The analgesic properties of the plant seem to be related to its effect on

prostaglandin Prostaglandins (PG) are a group of physiology, physiologically active lipid compounds called eicosanoids that have diverse hormone-like effects in animals. Prostaglandins have been found in almost every Tissue (biology), tissue in humans and ot ...

synthesis. It may have potential as a broad spectrum

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

, as demonstrated in tests against ''

Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posi ...

'', ''

Bacillus subtilis ''Bacillus subtilis'' (), known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus ''Bacill ...

'', ''

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'' is a common Bacterial capsule, encapsulated, Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative, Aerobic organism, aerobic–facultative anaerobe, facultatively anaerobic, Bacillus (shape), rod-shaped bacteria, bacterium that can c ...

'', and ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...

''.

Chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane (often abbreviated as TCM), is an organochloride with the formula and a common solvent. It is a volatile, colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to refrigerants and po ...

extracts from dried leaves of ''P. pellucida'' have been shown to exhibit antifungal activity against ''

Trichophyton mentagrophytes ''Trichophyton mentagrophytes'' is a species in the fungal genus '' Trichophyton''. It is one of three common fungi which cause ringworm in companion animals. It is also the second-most commonly isolated fungus causing tinea infections in human ...

'' ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning ''in glass'', or ''in the glass'') Research, studies are performed with Cell (biology), cells or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in ...

''.

Anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation, fever or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs reduce pain by inhibiting mechan ...

activity (in paw edema) and

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

activity has been demonstrated in rats and mice. Although the plant can cause asthma-like symptoms in patients with known hypersensitivity reactions to the species, no clinical data have yet been reported on human toxicity.

Traditional medicine

Ethnomedicinal uses for the plant vary. ''P. pellucida'' has been used for treating abdominal pain, abscesses, acne, boils, colic, fatigue, gout, headache, renal disorders, and rheumatic joint pain. In

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, Alteños Indians use the whole plant to stop hemorrhages. The roots are used to treat fevers and the aerial parts are used as dressing for wounds. In northeastern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the plant has been used to lower cholesterol. In

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

and the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

region, it is a popular cough suppressant, emollient, and diuretic. It is also used to treat

proteinuria Proteinuria is the presence of excess proteins in the urine. In healthy persons, urine contains very little protein, less than 150 mg/day; an excess is suggestive of illness. Excess protein in the urine often causes the urine to become fo ...

. It is also used topically for skin disorders such as acne and boils. In the western parts of Nigeria, it is used as water extract in the treatment of high blood pressure and urinary tract infections and insomnia. In the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, it is one of the 10 medicinal plants endorsed by the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...

. It is used to decrease

uric acid Uric acid is a heterocyclic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen with the Chemical formula, formula C5H4N4O3. It forms ions and salts known as urates and acid urates, such as ammonium acid urate. Uric acid is a product of the meta ...

levels, which is a cause of

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

and

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

. It can be used as a

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal medicine systems. D ...

or eaten raw as a salad.

Common names

It is known as ''pepper elder, silverbush, rat-ear, man-to-man, clearweed'' (North America); (Puerto Rico); (Suriname); or "little heart" (Brazil); ''lingua de sapo, herva-de-vidro, herva-de-jaboti or herva-de-jabuti'' (South America), ewe rinrin (Yoruba Nigeria), ''corazón de hombre'' (Cuba). In Oceania, it is called ''rtertiil'' (

Belauan Palauan () is a Malayo-Polynesian language native to the Republic of Palau, where it is one of the two official languages, alongside English. It is widely used in day-to-day life in the country. Palauan is not closely related to other Malayo-Pol ...

); or ( Chamorro). In the different dialects of the Philippines, it is called ''pansit-pansitan'' or ''ulasimang-bato'' (Tagalog), ''olasiman ihalas'' (Bisaya), ''sinaw-sinaw'' or ''tangon-tangon'' (Bikol), ''lin-linnaaw'' (Ilocano) and "clavo-clavo" (Chavacano). In other parts of Asia, it is known as ''càng cua'' (Vietnam);''nathamee koon'' နတ်သမီးကွမ်း (Burmese); သဂါဗတာင် (Mon); ''pak krasang'' ผักกระสัง (

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

); "krasang teap" ក្រសាំងទាប (Cambodia); ''suna kosho'' (Japan); ''rangu-rangu, ketumpangan'' or ''tumpang angin'' (Bahasa/Malay); ''sasaladahan'' ( Sundanese); ''rinrin'' (Nigeria), "shining bush" (Trinidad and Tobago); ''mashithandu'' മഷിത്തണ്ട്, ''വെള്ളത്തണ്ട്'' and ''വെള്ളപ്പച്ചില'' (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

); ''diya thippili'', ''Ponounuwa (পনৌনোৱা)'' (Assamese), දිය තිප්පිලි ( Sinhalese). In west Bengal, India the plant is locally known as "Luchi pata". In Guyana the plant is also known as "Soldier Parsley." In

Commonwealth of Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

it is known as “zèb kouwès.”

References

External links

Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth
United States Department of Agriculture {{Taxonbar, from=Q3337038

pellucida ''Pellucida'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hyponectriaceae. This is a monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not ...

Medicinal plants Medicinal plants of South America