Piper aduncum, the spiked pepper, matico, hierba del soldado, achotlín, cordoncillo, higuillo or higuillo de hoja menuda,
Description
Matico is a tropical,
evergreen,
shrubby tree that grows to the height of with
lance-shaped leaves that are long. Its fruit is a small
drupe with black seeds.
Etymology
According to legends, the plant was discovered on the part of Europeans by a wounded Spanish soldier named Matico. The natives had been using it before the arrival of Europeans,
and Matico learned, presumably from the local tribes, that applying the leaves to his wounds stopped bleeding. It began to be called "matico" or "soldier's herb". It was introduced into the practice of medicine in the United States and Europe by a Liverpool physician in 1839 as a
styptic and
astringent for wounds.
Taxonomy
Piper aduncum was described by
Carl Linnaeus and published in
Species Plantarum 1: 29. 1753.
Accepted varieties
-
Piper aduncum var. cordulatum (C. DC.) Yunck.
-
Piper aduncum var. ossanum (C. DC.) Saralegui
Synonyms
-
Artanthe adunca (L.) Miq.
-
Artanthe cearensis Miq.
-
Artanthe celtidifolia (Kunth) Miq.
-
Artanthe elongata (Vahl) Miq.
-
Artanthe galeottii Miq.
-
Artanthe galleoti Miq.
-
Artanthe granulosa Miq.
-
Artanthe vellozoana Miq.
-
Lepianthes granulatum Raf.
-
Piper acutifolium var. membranaceum C. DC.
-
Piper aduncifolium Trel.
-
Piper anguillaespicum Trel.
-
Piper angustifolium Ruiz & Pav.
-
Piper cardenasii Trel.
-
Piper celtidifolium Kunth
-
Piper disparispicum Trel.
-
Piper elongatifolium Trel.
-
Piper elongatum Vahl
-
Piper fatoanum C. DC.
-
Piper flavescens (C. DC.) Trel.
-
Piper guanaianum C. DC.
-
Piper herzogii C. DC.
-
Piper intersitum f. porcecitense Trel.
-
Piper kuntzei C. DC.
-
Piper lineatum var. hirtipetiolatum Trel.
-
Piper multinervium M. Martens & Galeotti
-
Piper nonconformans Trel.
-
Piper oblanceolatum var. fragilicaule Trel.
-
Piper pseudovelutinum var. flavescens C. DC.
-
Piper purpurascens D. Dietr.
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Piper reciprocum Trel.
-
Piper submolle Trel.
-
Steffensia adunca (L.) Kunth
-
Steffensia angustifolia Kunth
-
Steffensia celtidifolia (Kunth) Kunth
-
Steffensia elongata (Vahl) Kunth
Distribution and habitat
It is native to Southern Mexico, the
Caribbean, and much of tropical
South America. It is grown in tropical Asia,
Polynesia, and
Melanesia and can even be found in
Florida,
Hawaii, and
Puerto Rico. In some countries matico is considered as an
invasive weed.
In parts of
New Guinea, although matico is notorious for drying out the soil in the areas where it is invasive; the wood of this plant is nonetheless used by local residents for a myriad of uses such as for fuel and fence posts.
Uses
Culinary
Like many species of the family, this tree has the characteristic smell of pepper. The fruits are used as a condiment and for flavoring
Hot chocolate.
It is sometimes used as a substitute for
long pepper.
Traditional medicine
In the Amazon Rainforest, many of the native tribes use matico leaves as an
antiseptic. In
Peru, it was used for stopping
and treating
peptic ulcer, and in European practice in the treatment of diseases of the genitals and
Urinary system, such as those for which
cubeb was often prescribed.
Essential oil
The chemical composition of the essential oil differs depending on the origin, although phenylpropanoid
dillapiole is the most cited component, followed by
myristicin, 1,8-cineole and β-
ocimene.
[ ][ ] The essential oil of
P. aduncum was considered a promising insecticide, acaricide and antiparasitic in a 2021 review.
External links
