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Black Pepper

Black Pepper

Piper nigrum

Background & Origin

Native to India and tropical Asian countries, Black Pepper has been cultivated from at least 3500 years ago for culinary purposes. However, Ancient Egyptians also used Black Pepper as part of the mummification process, as well as in medicinal efforts. The word “Pepper” is dervied from the Sanskrit word “Pippali” used to describe long pepper (Piper longum). The main therapeutic part of the plant is the berry or corn, which is dried, ground or extracted to obtain oils.

Uses

Black peppercorn oil is a highly-valued for its deeply warming pungent, enlivening aroma. It has been used in body oils to ease pain caused by arthritis and rheumatism and relieve sore muscles (Chavarria et al., 2015; Karami et al., 2021). One of the main active compounds in the oil is piperine, a terpenoid that provides antioxidant and disinfecting properties, while also enhancing the uptake of other oils (Dludla, 2023). As an aromatherapy oil, diffusion can help to energise and stimulate the mind.

Suitability

For Normal, dry & combination skin, except for those with sensitivity to pepper or capsicum.

Uses in our products

Antioxidant, mood enhancing, reviving.

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References
  1. Chavarria et al. Expert Opin Ther Pat. 2016;26(2):245-64.
  2. Han et al., 2018. Phytotherapy Research. 2018; 32: 1848–1852.
  3. Karami et al. Curr Drug Discov Technol. 2021;18(2):244-271.
  4. Dludla et al. Molecules. 2023 Sep; 28(18): 6569.