Cubeb (Piper cubeba L.f.): A comprehensive review of its botany, phytochemistry, traditional uses, and pharmacological properties

Badreddine Drissi; Ismail Mahdi; Mouna Yassir; Widad Ben Bakrim; Latifa Bouissane; Mansour Sobeh

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1048520

Cubeb (Piper cubeba L.f.): A comprehensive review of its botany, phytochemistry, traditional uses, and pharmacological properties

Front Nutr. 2022 Nov 22:9:1048520. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1048520. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Badreddine Drissi¹, Ismail Mahdi¹, Mouna Yassir¹, Widad Ben Bakrim^{1

2}, Latifa Bouissane³, Mansour Sobeh¹

Affiliations

¹ AgroBioSciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben-Guerir, Morocco.
² African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Laayoune, Morocco.
³ Molecular Chemistry, Materials and Catalysis Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Beni-Mellal, Morocco.

Abstract

Piper cubeba L.f. (Piperaceae), known as cubeb, is a popular traditional herbal medicine used for the treatment of many diseases, especially digestive and respiratory disorders. The plant is rich in essential oil, found mainly in fruits, and this makes it economically important. Many traditional utilizations have been also validated from the plant and its isolated compounds owing to their antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. These biological activities are attributed to the phytochemicals (phenolic compounds, lignans and alkaloids) and the essential oil of the plant. The present work aims to provide an up-to-date review on the traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of the plant and discusses the future perspectives to promote its valorization for nutritional- and health-promoting effects.

Keywords: Piper cubeba; cubeb; pharmacological activities; phytochemistry; traditional uses.

Publication types

Review