ABSTRACT
Malaria is one of the most common tropical diseases encountered mainly in equatorial regions. It is a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium and spread through mosquito vectors from one to another. Its life cycle is divided into two phases, one in mosquito vector, and other in human host. There are many drugs, like quinines, available to cure malaria, but they also show side effects, like fatigue, vomiting, and nausea. To overcome such effects, new traditional medicines are gaining interest in the field of therapeutics. Many herbs are tested for their phytochemicals, which act as antimalarial agents. Piper genera belonging to the Piperaceae family is one of the medicinal plant groups which include approximately 1,000 species in it. From these, nearly 9 species show the presence of many bioactive compounds, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, starch, protein, and essential oils, which show antimalarial activity. Apart from their antimalarial activity, they also exhibit antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anticancer, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, aphrodisiac, and many more such potential activities. This chapter discusses traditional knowledge, bioactive compounds, potential uses, and antimalarial response of Piper genera.
