Flavor: Hot/Peppery/Pungent
Major Flavour Compound: Piperine
Parts Used: Dry stem
Related species: Piper wallichii is another woody pepper that is more commonly used in northern Thailand.
Wood pepper is a wild vine in the Piperaceae family, native to Southeast Asia, particularly found in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. It produces long, dark brown to black pepper spikes, similar in appearance to long pepper but smaller and more intense in flavor. It has a pungent, spicy, and slightly smoky aroma, commonly used in traditional Thai and Lao dishes, especially curry pastes and fermented recipes. In traditional medicine, wood pepper is used as a warming herb to treat digestive issues, flatulence, colds, and respiratory problems. Its bioactive compounds—mainly alkaloids and essential oils—contribute to its antimicrobial, carminative, and circulatory-stimulating properties. Though less commercially cultivated, it holds cultural and culinary significance in regional cuisine and herbal healing.
