A glabrous, often glandular, reddish, annual or perennial herb, up to 80 cm high. Leaves linear-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate with resinous cavities; flowers pink or red in slender racemes: nuts granulate, finely dotted.

Stimulant, hemostatic, sedative, diuretic, styptic, emmenagogue and lithontriptic (plant); antiovulatory, stimulant, diuretic, carminative, tonic and anthelmintic and antifertility (root); anti-inflammatory, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, stimulant, stomachic, styptic, antibiotic and cytotoxic (leaf); carminative, diuretic and stimulant (seed)

Water Pepper
Plants for a Future
The Physiomedical Dispensatory
King's American Dispensatory

Polygodial, warburganal, confertifolin and drimenol (leaf); anthraquinone and hydropiperoside (root); flavonoids, tannins and rutin (plant); izotadeonal (essential oil).

In treating diarrhoea, dyspepsia, itching skin, excessive menstrual bleeding, menstrual pains and haemorrhoids and as a sedative (plant); as a tonic (root).

People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition.

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.