Piper sarmentosum (Chaa-plu)

Top Tropicals Plant Encyclopedia

Botanical name: Piper sarmentosum

Common names: Chaa-plu, Vietnamese Pepper, Lalot, La Lot, Wild Betel Leaf

Family: Piperaceae

Origin: East and Southeast Asia

USDA Zone: 9-11?

This spreading vine is fast growing and has many uses. Eaten raw in salads or cooked with other greens or dishes, or wrap meats and cook in oven or on stove or grill.

It is used medicinally in Asia. The whole plant is used as expectorant, leaves as carminative in India and South China as well as Indonesia. It is used for feverish diseases, for digestive disorders, and toothache. The extract may be applied externally to treat pain in the bones. When the root is chewed with betel nut, it is said to be helpful for the treatment of coughs and asthma; with nutmeg and ginger it is used to treat pleurisy. The leaves are used as food (food wraps) in Vietnam.

See Article about Piper.