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← The ApothecaryPiperaceaedried unripe berries (fruit) with their stalk, essential oilFact-checked 24 October 2026

Cubeb

Piper cubeba

Also calledKabab chini (Hindi/Urdu/Bengali) · Hab-ul-urus, Kababah (Arabic) · Kubaba (Persian) · Kemukus (Javanese) · Tailed pepper, Java pepper (English) · Poivre à queue (French)

In older monographsCubeba officinalis, Cubeba cubeba

A climbing pepper from Java and Borneo whose stalked berries were a spice and medicine of the Middle Ages and remain in Moroccan ras el hanout. Unani physicians use it as kabab chini for urinary complaints, kidney gravel and gonorrhoea. Laboratory and animal work is plentiful, but there are no clinical trials.

What it is used for

  • A single case report described a man with hypertensive chronic kidney disease whose creatinine and urea improved after 4 g a day of cubeb capsules for 6 weeks. One uncontrolled case cannot show an effect; earlier animal studies report nephroprotective activity.1,2

  • Kidney stones
    Traditional

    Prescribed in Unani medicine for gravel and stones of the kidney and bladder. In rats given ethylene glycol to form calcium oxalate crystals, a hydroalcoholic fruit extract reduced urinary crystals and serum creatinine; no human trials.2,1

  • Unani formulations containing it (Jawarish Zarooni, Majoon-e-Antaki and others) are used for cystitis, retention of urine and gonorrhoea; extracts and oil inhibit bacteria in the lab, but this has not been tested in people.2,1

  • The fruit is used as powder, decoction or oil as a stomach tonic and for abdominal pain; no clinical studies.1

  • Listed among its traditional uses as an anti-asthmatic; untested clinically.1

How it is prepared

powder

Dried berries ground to a powder; in Unani practice also given as decoction or paste.

Unani classical literature (as cited by Bano et al. 2018): 3 g as the human dose.

Kidney stones · Urinary tract infections

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy
Avoid
Breastfeeding
Insufficient data

Interactions with medicines

  • drugs metabolised by cytochrome P450 enzymesModerateSome cubeb lignans inhibit CYP450 enzymes, so interactions with many medicines are possible; not studied in people.
Interaction checker →

Do not use if

  • Pregnancy (reported oxytocic effect)

Side effects

  • Excessive doses: burning pain, nausea, griping, vomiting and purging
  • Essential oil may be irritant

Toxicity

Rats tolerated a methanol fruit extract up to 2,000 mg/kg and the essential oil up to 3,000 mg/kg without deaths. A 2025 review lists genotoxicity at 1.5 g/kg and irritation of the gut and kidneys among reported risks.

In the healing traditions

  • Unani

    Kabab chini

    Used for renal disorders, gravel and stones, retention and incontinence of urine, gonorrhoea and ulcers of the urinary tract, as decoction, powder or paste; an ingredient of Jawarish Zarooni, Majoon-e-Antaki, Laboob-e-Sagheer and Sufoof-e-Shora Murakkab. Unani classical literature gives a human dose of 3 g.

    As cited by Bano et al. 2018 (National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore)

  • Middle Eastern

    Hab-ul-urus / Kababah

    Known in Arabic medicine and North African cooking; in Morocco a spice in ras el hanout and pastries, and listed among plants used for cancer in folk medicine.

  • Southeast Asian (Jamu, Thai, Philippine…)

    Kemukus

    Native to Java and Borneo, where it is cultivated for its berries; the review records digestive, anti-asthmatic and sedative uses of the fruit.

Active compounds

cubebin
lignan, the most abundant in the fruit (about 1–3%); anti-inflammatory and analgesic in lab and animal work
hinokinin, yatein
dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans of the berries
β-cubebene, cubebol
sesquiterpenes of the essential oil and oleoresin
eugenol, methyl eugenol
major components of some essential oil samples (about 34% and 41%)
piperine
pungent alkaloid, far less than in black pepper (about 0.1%)

History

Cubeb was first used as a medicine and spice in the Middle Ages, when it reached Europe and North Africa from Indonesia. Its English names, tailed pepper and Java pepper, describe the stalk left on each berry and its island origin.

Sources

  1. 1.Drissi B et al. Cubeb (Piper cubeba L.f.): a comprehensive review of its botany, phytochemistry, traditional uses, and pharmacological properties. Front Nutr 2022;9:1048520
  2. 2.Bano H et al. Effect of Piper cubeba L. fruit on ethylene glycol and ammonium chloride induced urolithiasis in male Sprague Dawley rats. Integr Med Res 2018
  3. 3.Díaz-Guerrero P et al. "Pepper": different spices, one name — analysis of sensory and biological aspects. Molecules 2025
  4. 4.GBIF: Piper cubeba L.f. (accepted name; IUCN not evaluated)

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.