Piper chaba, commonly known as "Chui Jhal" or "Indian Long Pepper," is traditionally used in various Southeast Asian and South Asian medicinal systems, including Ayurveda and Thai traditional medicine, to treat infections and related symptoms such as fever, cough, and gastrointestinal disturbances. The use of Piper chaba for infectious conditions is primarily based on its longstanding ethnomedicinal reputation rather than robust modern clinical evidence.

Several in vitro studies have demonstrated that extracts and essential oils from Piper chaba possess antimicrobial activity against certain bacterial and fungal strains, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These results suggest there may be pharmacologically active compounds in the plant, such as piperine and other alkaloids, which could have an inhibitory effect on pathogens. However, direct clinical studies in humans evaluating its efficacy for treating infections are lacking.

In summary, the use of Piper chaba for infections is justified primarily by tradition, with some preclinical scientific support. However, there is insufficient high-quality evidence from human trials to strongly validate its effectiveness for this purpose.