Common Name:

General Information

Peperomia pellucida is a slender and low growing plant mostly 25cm tall or less[]. Usually an annual, though sometimes persisting, it has an erect or ascending, sometimes procumbent habit with very succulent and brittle stems that root at the nodes[, ].
The leaves are sometimes harvested from the wild and used locally as a food, medicine and tea. The plant is sometimes cultivated as a medicine and food crop in parts of the tropics, and is sold as a food and medicine in local markets[, ]. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental[]..

Known Hazards

The plant has a strong mustard-like odour and pulling it up can cause asthma-like symptoms[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical America. Widely naturalised in tropical areas worldwide.

Habitat

Shady, damp places at elevations to 2,000 metres in Nepal[]. Moist or wet thickets or mixed forest, often a weed in waste ground about dwellings, most common below 1,000 metres but ascending to 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.20 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant requires a minimum temperature of 10°c[].
Prefers a well-drained, humus-rich soil[]. Plants succeed in shady positions[].
The plant sets seed abundantly and has become naturalized as a weed in many parts of the tropics. It is a common and widespread weed, frequent in gardens and cultivated areas that are damp and lightly shaded, particularly common on damp hard surfaces such as walls, roofs, steep gullies, and in flower pots[].
In cultivation, growth is very fast - inflorescences can appear 30 - 40 days after transplanting, and stems may reach a length of 60cm within 100 days[].
Under certain growing conditions impoverished types that were previously described as separate species can develop[].
A shallow-rooted plant[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots - eaten in salads or used as a potherb[, , ]. The leaves are succulent, with a spicy flavour[, ]. Used in salads, the fresh plant has the crispness of carrot sticks and celery[]. An aromatic taste, it stimulates the appetite and digestion[].

The leaves can be brewed into a tea[].

Medicinal

Peperomia pellucida has a long history of medicinal use in S. America, and this use has spread with the plant to other countries in the tropics. In the Philippines, for example, it belongs to the 'preferred list' of medicinal plants, being studied for its use in the treatment of arthritis and gout[].
Research has shown the presence of a number of medically active compounds[]. These include an essential oil with apiole as the main ingredient; several flavonoids; and five new bioactive compounds: two secolignans, two tetrahydrofuran lignans, and one highly methoxylated dihydronaphthalenone[, ].
The essential oil from the whole plant showed fungicidal activity at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 2,000 ppm, with a wide range of toxicity and quick killing activity[]. It was thermo-stable, remained toxic for at least 150 days, was non-phytotoxic and non-systemic[]. The oil is antagonistic to the growth of Helminthosporium oryzae (brown spot) in rice[].
An extract of the aerial parts of the plant has shown anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities[].
A study of the leaf extract has shown dose-dependent depressant effects, probably due to psychoactive substances that are CNS depressant[]. Another study on the leaf extract has shown antipyretic effects comparable to a standard aspirin[].
An ethyl acetate extract of the air-dried plants showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial activity was more potent than the penicillin standard used[].
The water extract of leaves showed antimutagenic activity[].

The leaves and stems are analgesic, anticancer, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, cholagogue, diuretic and refrigerant[, ]. They are used in the treatment of bronchitis and asthma; gout and arthritis; headache; rheumatic pain; impotence, abdominal pain, kidney problems etc[, ]. They are used in Brazil to lower cholesterol levels[]. For treating arthritis, the leaves and stems of the fresh plant may be eaten as a salad, or made into an infusion. For the infusion, put a 20cm plant in 2 glasses of boiling water; and 1/2 cup of this infusion is taken morning and evening[].
Externally, the leaves and stems are used as a facial rinse for treating complexion problems[]. The pounded whole plant is used as warm poultice for treating ulcers, boils, pustules, pimples and wounds[, , ]. The sap is used as eye drops to treat cataracts, infections etc[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ. Germination takes about 15 days[].

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