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Chavika

Piper retrofractum

Chavika (Piper retrofractum) is a plant drug, from the Piperaceae family.

Key facts
Botanical namePiper retrofractum
Identity sourceAyurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. II: CAVYA (Stem)
Also calledPiper chaba (nomenclatural synonym)
Piper officinarum (nomenclatural synonym)
FamilyPiperaceae · other entries in this family
OrderPiperales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 3086342 · Wikidata Q7504329 · NCBI Taxonomy 130414

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2014 to 2025, 11 with a DOI.

  • 1Randomised controlled trials
  • 1Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 10Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
SanskritChavika

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)KatuPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)Laghu, RukshaPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)UshnaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)KatuPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Kashayam (decoction), Tablet, Capsule, Component of compound formulations

Standard Dosage: 1-3g powder twice daily; 50-100ml decoction; 500mg extract capsule. Pungent herb, start with lower doses.

Optimal Timing: Before or with meals for digestive enhancement; as bioenhancer taken concurrently with target formulation

Storage: Airtight containers away from light. Cool, dry conditions. Separate from less pungent herbs during storage to prevent aroma transfer.

Marker Compounds: Piperine, Piperlongumine, Pipernonaline, Retrofractamide A-D, Chavicine, Beta-caryophyllene

Synergistic Combinations

  • With Shunthi and Maricha as Trikatu variant for digestive enhancement
  • With Chitraka for Agni (digestive fire) stimulation
  • With Haridra, enhances curcumin bioavailability (piperine effect)
  • With Guduchi for immunomodulation with enhanced absorption

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Randomised controlled trials1

  1. Maenthaisong R, Chaiyakunapruk N, Tiyaboonchai W and others. 2014. Efficacy and safety of topical Trikatu preparation in, relieving mosquito bite reactions: a randomized controlled trialComplementary therapies in medicine. PMID 24559814 · doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.08.014

Other clinical studies and reviews1

  1. Pramitha DAI, Herlina T, Maksum IP and others. 2025. Synergistic Potential of Trikatu Essential Oil as an Aromatherapy Agent: A Chemical and Mechanistic ReviewDrug design, development and therapy. PMID 40786247 · doi:10.2147/DDDT.S534731

Laboratory and animal studies10

  1. Yodsawad T, Meemongkolkiat T, Chanchao C and others. 2024. Four new alkylamides from the fruits of Piper retrofractum and antityrosinase evaluationNatural product research. PMID 37715311 · doi:10.1080/14786419.2023.2258542
  2. Lallo S, Hardianti B, Djabir YY and others. 2023. Piper retrofractum ameliorates imiquimod-induced skin inflammation via modulation of TLR4 axis and suppression of NF-κB activityHeliyon. PMID 37809486 · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20151
  3. Ishii M, Miyata H, Ikeda N and others. 2022. Piper retrofractum extract and its component piperine promote lymphangiogenesis via an AKT- and ERK-dependent mechanismJournal of food biochemistry. PMID 35567300 · doi:10.1111/jfbc.14233
  4. Mahaldar K, Hossain A, Islam F and others. 2020. Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of Piper retrofractum against Paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley ratNatural product research. PMID 30663362 · doi:10.1080/14786419.2018.1550768
  5. Amaliyah S, Pangesti DP, Masruri M and others. 2020. Green synthesis and characterization of copper nanoparticles using Piper retrofractum Vahl extract as bioreductor and capping agentHeliyon. PMID 32793839 · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04636
  6. Tang R, Zhang YQ, Hu DB and others. 2019. New Amides and Phenylpropanoid Glucosides from the Fruits of Piper retrofractumNatural products and bioprospecting. PMID 31073809 · doi:10.1007/s13659-019-0208-z
  7. Wiwattanawanichakun P, Ratwatthananon A, Poonsri W and others. 2018. The Possibility of Using Isolated Alkaloid Compounds and Crude Extracts of Piper retrofractum (Piperaceae) as Larvicidal Control Agents for Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) LarvaeJournal of medical entomology. PMID 29796657 · doi:10.1093/jme/tjy082
  8. Takahashi M, Hirose N, Ohno S and others. 2018. Flavor characteristics and antioxidant capacities of hihatsumodoki (Piper retrofractum Vahl) fresh fruit at three edible maturity stagesJournal of food science and technology. PMID 29606743 · doi:10.1007/s13197-018-3040-2
  9. Subsuebwong T, Attrapadung S, Potiwat R and others. 2016. Adulticide efficacy of essential oil from Piper retrofractum Vahl against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatusTropical biomedicine. PMID 33579144
  10. Luyen BT, Tai BH, Thao NP and others. 2014. A new phenylpropanoid and an alkylglycoside from Piper retrofractum leaves with their antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activityBioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters. PMID 25127165 · doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2014.07.057

Reference lists that include it

Piperine

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.