Black pepper is a popular condiment and spice used, primarily to enhance the flavour of our culinary dishes everywhere. In fact, it is definitely one of the most widely used spices everywhere in the world. It has undoubtedly become one of the staple necessities in our cooking. In the distant past, black pepper was so valuable as it became a priceless commodity to be traded in the spice trade.

However, research has found that black pepper also yields many medicinal and health benefits! In fact, the black pepper essential oil, extracted through steam distillation, possesses unique qualities that makes it a viable essential oil for your health! With its spicy, peppery and musky aroma, the essential oil of black pepper can be used to address a variety of health complaints, besides being a spice condiment. Read on to find out more about the benefits and uses of black pepper essential oil!

Health Benefits of Black Pepper Essential Oil:

1. Helps in Digestion

Black pepper essential oil has numerous digestive benefits. It stimulates the digestive system and ensures the proper secretion of digestive juices and enzymes to ensure smooth and regular digestion. This hence prevents a variety of stomach and digestion problems, which includes indigestion, diarrhea and excess gas.

Its carminative properties help to ensure that there is no buildup of excess gas within the stomach cavities as it inhibits the growth of bacteria that are responsible for the formation of such excess gas. Not only that, it can also treat constipation. Moreover, it is milder than chilli peppers, thus serving as a viable alternative to chilli.

In fact, research done in 2010 and published in the Journal of Medicinal Food shows how black pepper can serve a medicinal purpose of treating various gastrointestinal disorders as it exhibits antispasmodic and antidiarrheal activities.

How to Use it: Simply take 1 drop of black pepper oil and dilute it with a glass of water. You can also add it to your soup, savoury dish or a smoothie. Alternatively, you can apply the black pepper oil, that is diluted with jojoba, coconut or almond oil in a 1:1 ratio topically onto the stomach area.

2. Offers Pain Relief

Black pepper essential oil is well-known and mostly popular for its anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and anti-rheumatic attributes. This produces a warming and antispasmodic effect that seeks to improve blood circulation. As such, black pepper oil is extremely helpful to offer pain relief and comfort to muscle injuries, tendonitis and arthritis as well as rheumatism.

For example, a 2014 study that was subsequently published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine assessed the efficacy of black pepper essential oil in providing comfort and relief from pain. When four essential oils were combined together - marjoram, black pepper, lavender and peppermint - and applied to the neck area to relieve pain, they found that they had improved pain tolerance and showed significant improvement. This thus demonstrates black pepper’s efficacy in reducing pain.

How to Use it: Simply mix 2-3 drops of black pepper essential oil with equal amounts of carrier oil (such as almond, coconut or jojoba oil) and gently massage it topically onto the affected area to relieve any muscle injuries, tendonitis, rheumatism or arthritis.

3. Antibacterial Effects

Black pepper essential oil also has antibacterial and antimicrobial effects, which means it can effectively kill off any bacteria lingering on your skin and internally. It can cure and prevent bacterial infections in the colon, digestive system, urinary tracts and the mouth!

Additionally, a 2014 research found in Pubmed demonstrated how black pepper, cananga and myrrh essential oils all exhibited inhibitory effects on the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and they can potentially be utilized as anti-virulence strategies against persistent S. aureus infections.

This is of great beneficial importance because this means that these oils target bacteria without actually affecting cell viability. Hence, our immune system will not develop any resistance forces towards these essential oils, unlike some prescribed antibiotic drugs.

How to Use it: You can apply diluted black pepper essential oil topically onto the skin or inhale it through a diffuser or vaporizer.

4. Helps to Detoxify the Body

Black pepper essential oil also contains diaphorectic and diuretic properties as it creates a warming sensation. This means that the oil is able to increase sweat and urination levels. Even though this may be a source of discomfort, it is undoubtedly helpful for your body as sweat and urination facilitates the removal of excess fats, salt, water, urea and uric acid. All these are harmful toxic substances and by eliminating them, black pepper essential oil can keep your body healthy and toxin-free!

Additionally, this can help to reduce weight, lower blood pressure levels naturally and clears the pores of your skin. It can also help to reduce swelling and inflammation. A 2013 research published in Pubmed sought to evaluate piperine, which is the active principle of black pepper. It was found that the piperine in black pepper helped to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress as it promotes normalization of blood pressure levels, improved glucose tolerance and liver function.

How to Use it: You can add a drop of black pepper essential oil and dilute it with a glass of water sufficiently to ingest it. Alternatively, you can also apply 2-3 drops of diluted black pepper oil and apply it topically onto the bottoms of the feet.

5. May Help in Cancer Prevention

Furthermore, black pepper essential oil has anti-cancer constituents which helps to inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells. For example, a 2010 study conducted at the Michigan State University found that black pepper has demonstrated anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, thus suppressing human cancer cell growth and proliferation.

Although more research needs to be done to carefully evaluate the anti-cancer potential of black pepper essential oil and to find out how exactly can black pepper be incorporated in cancer preventive treatments, this initial experiment showed promising results.

6. Decreases Cholesterol Levels

Black pepper essential oil also helps to decrease cholesterol levels and lowers the amount of fats present in the bloodstream levels. As such, this oil offers a viable alternative to the prescribed drugs that lower cholesterol levels, as those medications may have negative side-effects. Black pepper offers a natural remedy and as such, it is a much safer option.

In addition, a 2010 research published in Current Cardiology Reviews has evidence to conclude that black pepper can lower lipid peroxidation and able to influence lipid metabolism rates by mobilization of fatty acids. As such, rats which were fed with a diet high in fat content showed a remarkable decrease in the levels of cholesterol, fatty acids and other lipids.

Therefore, this strongly accentuates black pepper essential oil’s potential to protect the heart from cardiac diseases and to prevent blockage of blood vessels due to high fat content in the bloodstream.

How to Use it: You can mix a drop of the oil in a glass of water and proceed to drink it, ensuring that there is proper dilution before proceeding to ingest it.

7. Relieves Anxiety

Moreover, black pepper essential oil is an amazing essential oil to allay nervous conditions and feelings of anxiety, stress as well as tension. Its peppery, musky aroma will help to put you in a peaceful and relaxing mood as it soothes your nerves and gives you an uplifting spirit to boost your mood tremendously.

In fact, what is interesting is that black pepper essential oil can also reduce smoking withdrawal symptoms, as seen in the 1994 study that was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence! Therefore, it is an excellent agent to help you quit smoking as it helps to suppress cravings for cigarettes.

How to Use it: You can diffuse the oil in a distiller, vaporizer or diffuser for no longer than 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can also inhale it directly in small doses to promote relaxation or to reduce the craving to smoke.

8. Aids Circulation

Also, black pepper essential oil can promote healthy circulation and stimulates the bile and mucus flow. This is because of the presence of vitamin K which helps to ensure proper circulatory and metabolic functions. It also helps to prevent excessive buildup of mucus and bile which can possibly lead to infection and other health problems. As such, this essential oil can greatly help to regulate and ensure the smooth functioning of the various bodily systems within the body, thus keeping it healthy and problem-free!

How to Use it: Simply add 3-5 drops of black pepper oil to a warm compress, and gently press it onto the abdominal area or desired areas.

Safety Precautions:

• Remember that you would want to purchase a high quality grade black pepper essential oil before proceeding to use it internally. Also, only ingest it in small doses and do so only after proper dilution with a glass of water.

• Do consult your medical practitioner/doctor first for professional health advice before proceeding to ingest the oil.

• Also, if you have prior existing medical conditions that requires you to take prescribed drugs, do check with your doctor first before using black pepper essential oil as a treatment for your health concerns.

• Be sure to dilute black pepper essential oil with a carrier oil first as it can be a strong irritant.

• Ensure that you do a skin patch test on a non-sensitive part of your skin to ascertain for any sensitive/allergic reactions.

References:

Mehmood MH, Gilani AH, “Pharmacological basis for the medicinal use of black pepper and piperine in gastrointestinal disorders”, Journal of Medicinal Food (2010); 13(5)

Ou MC, et al., “The effectiveness of essential oils for patients with neck pain: a randomized controlled study”, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2014); 20(10)

Lee K, et al., “Anti-biofilm, anti-hemolysis, and anti-virulence activities of black pepper, cananga, myrrh oils and nerolidol against Staphylococcus aureus” Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (2014); 98(22)

Diwan V, Poudyal H, Brown L., “Piperine attenuates cardiovascular, liver and metabolic changes in high carbohydrate, high fat-fed rats”, Journal of Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics (2013); 67(2)

Liu Y, et al., “Inhibitory effects of black pepper (Piper nigrum) extracts and compounds on human tumor cell proliferation, cyclooxygenase enzymes, lipid peroxidation and nuclear transcription factor-kappa-B”, Journal of Natural Product Communications (2010); 5(8)

Hannah R Vasanthi, R.P Parameswari, “Indian Spices for Healthy Heart - An Overview”, Current Cardiology Reviews (2010); 6(4)

Rose JE, Behm FM, “Inhalation of vapor from black pepper extract reduces smoking withdrawal symptoms”, Pubmed (1994); 34(3)