Cubeb Berries

Western Bulk Herbs – Cubeb Berries

The traditional use of cubeb berries was as a remedy for gonorrhea, as an aphrodisiac and as a remedy for sexually transmitted diseases. Also used in leucorrhoea, cystitis, urethritis, abscesses of the prostate gland, piles and chronic bronchitis.

Cubeb berries makes a great spice and a general benefit much like black pepper. Said to taste like a cross between black peppercorns and allspice, cubeb berries are a great addition to the spice cabinet. These berries have also found their way into brews and smokable blends. It’s also been used in colognes and perfumes.

Latin Name:
Piper cubeba

Common Names:
Tailed Pepper

Parts Used:
he dried, full-grown, unripe fruit.

Properties:
Stimulant and carminative

Traditional Uses:
Teas, capsules, tinctures, and as an essential oil

Topical Uses / Applications:

Culinary Uses:
Not used in cooking.

Chemical Properties:
monoterpenes (sabinene 50%, carene, a-thujene, 1,4-cineol and 1,8-cineol) and sesquiterpenes (copaene, a- and b-cubebene, b-cadinene, caryophyllene, germacrene, cubebol).

Cautions:
Do not use Cubeb berries if you are pregnant. Do not use if you have acute inflammation of the kidneys or urinary tract, kidney disease, or kidney failure.

Folk Lore:
Cubeb berries are added to gin, and widely thought to be aphrodisiac.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.