Some interesting Pepper Facts:
- Pepper is the number one selling spice in America
- Pepper comes in many colors, green, black, red and white but all comes from the same plant, the color is related to how ripe it is and how it has been processed
- Peppercorns (Piper nigrium) come in 4 colors; Green (underripe), Black (ripe), White (hulls removed) and Pink (not true pepper).
- Pepper is native to India and grows as a tall vine with the peppercorns as flowering drupes
- It has been used in cooking for over 2000 years!
- Pepper was mostly eaten by the wealthy in the past as it was so expensive and sort after, traders formed spice routes from India to Europe and would often fight over them
- In the Middle ages a mans wealth was measured by his stock pile of pepper
- The Romans would even demand pepper as a ransom when besieging a city
- Pepper gets its kick from the compound peperine
- Pepper loses its flavor and aroma through evaporation so its best to keep it in an airtight container
- Consider using whole peppercorns and grinding just before use to maintain flavor and add near the end of cooking
You have likely heard about the numerous benefits of essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, and possibly even rosemary, but have you heard about black pepper essential oil? You probably have some black pepper in your kitchen, but It isn’t something we would expect to be processed into an essential oil. Though unexpected, the essential oil derived from black pepper has many health benefits that you probably haven’t heard of yet.
According to OrganicFacts.net, “The health benefits of Black Pepper essential oil can be attributed to its properties as a digestive, diaphoretic (heavy sweating), carminative, aperient, antispasmodic, anti-rheumatic, anti-arthritic, antibacterial, and antioxidant substance.” In other words, this seemingly-miraculous essential oil can help with digestion, inducing perspiration, relieving gas and constipation, relieving involuntary muscle spasms, alleviating pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, and promotion of overall health and well-being.
One way to get the most of the many benefits of black pepper essential oil for the internal ailments listed above is to get creative with it in the kitchen! Try adding a few drops to your favorite dish to add a little spice as well as some healing.
Though black pepper essential oil can be ingested for those internal ailments, there are multiple ways to use this essential oil in your everyday routine. Another suggestion would be to add a few drops to a favorite cream or lotion and apply it topically. According to a study cited on Dr. Axe, “When patients applied a cream composed of black pepper, marjoram, lavender, and peppermint essential oils to the neck daily for a four-week period, the group reported improved pain tolerance and significant improvement of neck pain.” This amazing essential oil can be used as a pain reliever among its many other benefits.
A third method of using black pepper essential oil is to diffuse it aromatically. Though this isn’t an essential oil you would typically think to include in your essential oil diffuser blends, OrganicFacts.net suggests combining it with lemon, lime, lavender, sage, sandalwood, mandarin, ylang-ylang, juniper, bergamot, clary sage, clove, ginger, geranium, coriander, grapefruit, fennel and frankincense oils to give a more pleasant aroma to the beneficial oil.
As with almost everything carrying multiple benefits, there are a few things to note before using black pepper essential oil.
OrganicFacts.net states it best in their disclaimer:
“Word of Caution: There is nothing to be inherently scared of when it comes to black pepper oil, except that if taken in large quantities, it may cause uneasiness, unrest, vomiting, loose motions, irritation and inflammation of the intestines, sleeplessness, overheating, and smelling strongly of pepper. However, there is nothing serious about these symptoms. That being said, keep pepper away from the eyes and nose, as it may cause irritation, sneezing, and burning of the eyes.”
As with and essential oil use with caution, black pepper essential oil has many more benefits than risks, and can impact your daily life and overall general health and wellness greatly just by being added to your favorite dish, a body lotion, or your essential oil diffuser.