Editing Piper (plant) (section)

===As medicine===
[[File:Faikava.jpg|thumb|right|At a [[kava culture#Tonga|Kava club in Tonga]] ({{circa|2005}})]]
[[Cubeb]] (''P. cubeba'') has been used in [[folk medicine]] and [[herbalism]] as well as, particularly in the early 20th century, as a [[cigarette]] flavoring. ''[[Piper darienense|P.&nbsp;darienense]]'' is used medically by the [[Guna people]] of the [[Panama]]-[[Colombia]] border region, and elsewhere it is used to intoxicate fish which then can be easily caught. [[Spiked pepper]], often called ''matico'' appears to have strong [[disinfectant]] and [[antibiotic]] properties. Black pepper (''P.&nbsp;nigrum'') [[essential oil]] is sometimes used in herbalism, and long pepper (''P.&nbsp;longum'') is similarly employed in [[Ayurveda]], where it was an ingredient of ''Triphala Guggulu'' and (together with black pepper) of ''Trikatu'' [[Pill (pharmacy)|pills]], used for ''[[rasayana]]'' (rejuvenating and [[Body cleansing|detoxifying]]) purposes.

One ''Piper'' species has gained large-scale use as a [[stimulant]]. [[Betel]] (''P. betle'') leaves are used to wrap [[betel palm]] nut slices; its sap helps release the stimulating effect of these "cookies" which are widely known as ''pan'' in [[India]].

Conversely, another ''Piper'' species, [[kava]] (''P.&nbsp;methysticum''), is used for its [[depressant]] and [[euphoriant]] effects. In the [[Pacific]] region, where it has been widely spread as a [[Canoe plants|canoe plant]], kava is used to produce a calming and socializing drink somewhat similar to alcohol and [[benzodiazepines]] but without many of the negative side effects and less of an [[Substance use disorder|addiction]] risk. It has also become popular elsewhere in recent decades, and is used as a medical plant. However, pills that contain parts of the whole plant have occasionally shown a strong [[hepatotoxic]] effect, which has led to the banning of kava in many countries. On the other hand, the traditional preparation of the root as a calming drink appears to pose little, if any, such hazard.<ref>{{cite journal |author=L. Sorrentino |author2=A. Capasso |author3=M. Schmidt |year=2006 |title=Safety of ethanolic kava extract: results of a study of chronic toxicity in rats |journal=[[Phytomedicine (journal)|Phytomedicine]] |volume=13 |issue=8 |pages=542–549 |doi=10.1016/j.phymed.2006.01.006 |pmid=16904878}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Steven T. S. Lim |author2=Klaus Dragull |author3=Chung-Shih Tang |author4=Harry C. Bittenbender |author5=Jimmy T. Efird |author6=Pratibha V. Nerurkar |year=2007 |title=Effects of kava alkaloid, pipermethystine, and kavalactones on oxidative stress and cytochrome P450 in F-344 rats |journal=[[Toxicological Sciences]] |volume=97 |issue=1 |pages=214–221 |doi=10.1093/toxsci/kfm035 |pmid=17329236  |doi-access=free }}</ref>{{update after|2017|02|28}}