Common Name: Ethiopian Pepper

General Information

Xylopia aethiopica is an evergreen tree with a many-branched, narrow crown; it can grow 15 - 30 metres tall. The clear, straight bole, which can be 25 - 70cm in diameter, often has short prop roots or buttresses[, ].
Ethiopian pepper is a multipurpose tree that is very important in the local economy, supplying foods, a wide range of medicines, wood and many other commodities. The fruit was at one time exported to Europe. It remains an important item of trade throughout parts of Africa, sold in local markets as a spice and medicine[]. The tree is often cultivated near villages and is often protected when growing in the forest[]. It is also sometimes planted as an ornamental and to provide shade[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Sudan, south to Angola, Zambia and Mozambique.

Habitat

Lowland rainforest, coastal brackish swamps and littoral formations, and deciduous and fringing forests of the Guinean savannah zones[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ethiopian pepper is a plant of the moist, lowland tropics, where it can be found at elevations from 200 - 500 metres. It is found in areas where the mean annual temperature is within the range 20 - 31°c, and the mean annual rainfall 1,500 - 2,500mm[].
Found in the wild in well-drained loamy and sandy loam soils[].
Young trees grow rapidly for their first three years[].
Typical fruit yields are about two to three metric tons per annum per hectare[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - used as a spice to flavour food[]. The fruit is dried and crushed to a powder[]. It is used as a 'pepper'[]. The fruits are narrow, slightly torulose, dark brown or black, about 5 cm long, borne in bunches on a stout peduncle[].

The seeds are used as a substitute for pepper[]. An aromatic, pungent taste[].

A macerate of the leaves is added to palm wine to make a locally popular intoxicating drink[].

Medicinal

A fruit extract, or a decoction of the bark, is useful in the treatment of bronchitis and dysenteric conditions. It is also used as a medicine for biliousness and febrile pains[].

The bark is steeped in palm-wine which is then given at the rate of one or two glasses per day for treating attacks of asthma; stomach-aches; and rheumatism[].
The powdered bark is dusted onto ulcers[].

The root is strongly aromatic. A concentrated root decoction is used as a mouthwash for toothache[]. The powdered root, mixed with salt, is used as a cure for constipation[].
The powdered root is used externally as a dressing for sores; to rub on gums in the treatment of pyorrhoea; and in the local treatment of cancer[].

A decoction of the leaves and roots is used as a general tonic for treating fevers and debility[].

The leaves have a pungent smell. A decoction is used against rheumatism and as an emetic[].
The powdered leaves are taken as snuff for treating headaches, and re also used in friction on the chest for treating bronchio-pneumonia[].
The leaf sap, mixed with kola nut (Cola spp.) is given at the time of epileptic fits[]. The fruit is also used to season the patient’s food[].

The fruit is anthelmintic, antitussive, carminative, emmenagogue, purgative and a rubefacient to counter pain[]. The fruits are particularly recommended as a tonic both for women who wish to improve their fertility and for those who have recently given birth[].
The fruits are smoked like tobacco, and the smoke from a mixture of dried pulped fruit and tobacco is inhaled to relieve respiratory ailments[].
The fruits are often incorporated in preparations for enemas and for external uses where its revulsive properties can be put to good use for treating any painful area including pains in the chest, sides and ribs; lumbago and neuralgia[]. They are also used in the treatment of boils and skin eruptions[].

The seeds, as separate from the fruit, are emetic, galactagogue, rubefacient, stimulant and vermifuge[]. The ground seed is given to lactating mothers to increase their milk flow[]. An extract of the seeds is taken to rid the body of roundworms, and as a treatment for biliousness[].
Crushed, the seeds are rubbed on the forehead for treating headache and neuralgia[].

The plant is said to contain anonaceine, which is an alkaloid resembling morphine in action according to some authorities, and according to others is a glycoside[].
The fruit contains a volatile aromatic oil, a fixed oil and rutin[].
A study of the fruit extract used in Nigerian folk-medicine for treatment of skin-infections has shown some action on Gram +ve organisms: Sarcina lutea and Mycobacterium phlei, and no action on Staphylococcus aureus, and no antifungal action[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Within its native range, the tree is a pioneer species, found forming small woods on the savannah[].

Other Uses

The plant contains 2 - 4.5% essential oils. The oil from the bark consists mainly of pinene, trans-pinocarveol, verbenone and myrtenol; whereas the leaf oil is mainly spathulenol, cryptone, beta-caryophyllene and limonene[].
The slash of the bole is white, sappy and very fragrant. The fresh scented bark is kept as an incense in hut rooms[].

The fruit, ground up with Capsicum peppers, is mixed with kola nuts and used as a repellent for the Kola weevil[].
The pulverized fruits are added to snuff to increase its pungency[].

The fruits are sometimes put into jars of water to purify the water[].

The seeds, separated from the fruit, are a substitute for pepper, and have cosmetic uses[]. Mixed with other spices they are rubbed on the body as a cosmetic and scent, and are commonly used as a perfume for clothing[].

The thick, fibrous bark peels readily and yields a cordage[].
The bark is used to make doors and partitions, and to wrap around torches[].

The root wood can be used as a cork[].

The wood is white or pale yellowish brown in the heart, and fairly hard. It is said to be light and brittle in Sierra Leone, and to be of no commercial application, but elsewhere to be heavy, strong and elastic, and is used for purposes requiring resilience such as boat-construction, masts, oars, paddles and spars[]. Traditionally, it is used for making bows and crossbows for hunters and warriors. The wood is resistant to termite attack and is used in hut-construction for posts, scantlings, roof-ridges and joists[].
The wood makes a good fuel[]. It burns with a hot flame and has found use as a steamboat fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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