Bi Ba
English Name: long pepper
Pharmaceutical Name: Fructus Piper Longi
Medica Category: Interior-Warming Herbs
Properties: Bi Ba enters the Stomach and Large Intestine channels; it is acrid in nature and hot in temperature.
What is Bi Ba?:
The Chinese Herb Bi Ba is the dried fruit of a tropical vine in the pepper family (Piper longum L.) native to India and across Southeast Asia. Long utilized in various systems of traditional herbal medicine throughout the region, its uses in TCM are detailed below.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Bi Ba:
Bi Ba dispels cold and warms the middle and is often cooked into porridge or congee for this purpose. It addresses Spleen and Stomach deficiencies that manifest with epigastric and abdominal fullness and pain (cramps), nausea, vomiting, poor appetite and diarrhea.