Botanical Classification

Family Piperaceae

Genus and Specie Piper nigrum

Other names

Hu jiao

Description of the herb black pepper

Black and White peppercorns are the dried berries obtained from a creeper with woody stems and oval heart shaped leaves. Tiny white flowers appear in pendulous spikes, followed by spherical red berries. They are common to south and east India.

Parts used

The fruits (peppercorns) are used.

Green pepper is the whole fresh berry that is frozen or preserved, while white pepper is the fully matured fruit from which the outer fleshy layers have been removed before drying and black pepper is the almost mature complete berry that is dried and separated from their stalks.

Properties

An aromatic, pungent, warming herb that lowers fever and improves digestion.

Black pepper contains essential oil (up to 3.5%) and 5 – 10% pungent acid – amides with piperine as well as piperyline, piperoleines and piperamine, while the oil contains sabinene, pinene, phellandrene, linalool and limonene.

Piperine is known as a central nervous system depressant and has good anticonvulsant and antimicrobial properties. Its stimulates both the digestive and circulatory system and, apart from this, has insecticidal properties.

Therapeutic uses

Internal use

Used in the West to aid

 Digestion  Relieve gas And in Chinese medicine to

 Treat food poisoning  Stomach chills  Cholera  Dysentery  Vomiting caused by hypothermia  It is also used in Ayurvedic medicine to stimulate the digestive system and is used for treatment of nausea, lack of appetite and other dyspeptic complaints.  A common myth in the West is that pepper cannot be digested and remains in the digestive tract for 7 to 8 years. This is just a myth and contrary to the working of the digestive system, as the digestive tract has no way of treating pepper differently from any other food substance consumed. Pepper is absorbed and eliminated by the body in exactly the same way as any other food.  Pepper, White or black, is very common and is used to flavor most savory dishes, meats, chicken, fish, dressings sauces, pickles and cheese.  Unripe, fresh green berries are also used in sauces and to flavor various savory dishes.

External use

Ayurvedic medicine uses pepper mixed with ghee (butter type of compound) to treat

 Nasal congestion  Sinusitis  Skin eruptions  Epilepsy

Aromatherapy and essential oil use

Black pepper essential oil is used for pain relief, increasing circulation, muscular aches, exhaustion and fevers.

It can also be used to treat toothache, rheumatic pains and for parasites.

It has the following properties.

 Analgesic (pain relief)  Antiseptic  Anti-spasmodic  Cardiac  Carminative  Digestive  Diuretic  Laxative  Stimulant  Tonic

Since it helps to increase blood circulation, it can be successfully used in any problem where poor circulation plays a part, and for this reason, it is included in a variety of products.