Black pepper oil is extracted from the plant Piper nigrum of the Piperaceae family. The oil is made from the unripe red fruit of the plant, while white pepper for household use, is made from the same fruit, but the berry is picked when fully ripe and the outside layer (pericarp) is removed before drying.

This warm and spicy essential oil helps to increase warmth of the body and mind, relieving sore muscles and joints, boost the immune and digestive system, stimulate the kidneys and disperse bruising by increasing circulation to the skin.

	Oil properties : It is a strong and sharp spicy smelling oil and is faintly reminiscent of clove oil, yet more refined. It can range in color from light amber to yellow-green and has a watery viscosity.
Black Pepper Oil

Origin of black pepper oil :

The plant originated from India, Malaysia, Madagascar, China and Indonesia and the oil is mostly made in Singapore, India and Malaysia.

    »    The plant is originally a forest plant and this climbing woody vine uses trees or other supports to grow to about twenty feet high, but is normally kept to about 12 feet for commercial purposes and has a lifespan of about twenty years.

    »    The word pepper is derived from the Latin word piper, which in turn is taken from the Sanskrit word pippali.

    »    It has been used since the times of the Ancient Romans and Greeks. Even the Turks levied a tax on pepper, while the French, Portuguese and Dutch often went to war in the middle ages to fight for this lucrative trade from the far east.

Extraction :

The oil is extracted by steam distillation from the leaves and the flowering tops.

Chemical composition :

The essential oil is composed of various chemical constituents and includes the following; a-thujone, a-pinene, camphene, sabinene, b-pinene, a-phellandrene, myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene, b-farnesene, b-bisabolene, linalool and terpinen-4-ol.

Precautions :

Black pepper oil may cause irritation to sensitive skins and using too much could over-stimulate the kidneys. It should be avoided in pregnancy due to its possible skin sensitizing effect.

Therapeutic properties :

The therapeutic properties of black pepper oil include analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, febrifuge, laxative, rubefacient and tonic (especially of the spleen).

Uses :

    »    Black pepper oil can be used to help in the treatment of pain relief, rheumatism, chills, flu, colds, increase circulation, exhaustion, muscular aches, physical and emotional coldness, nerve tonic and fevers.

    »    It furthermore increases the flow of saliva, stimulates appetite, encourages peristalsis, tones the colon muscles and is a general digestive tonic.

    »    Due to the emmenagogue properties, it is often used to relieve scanty periods and normalizing menses.

    »    It helps to minimize uric acid in the blood, thus relieving gout. It is useful in arthritis as well and when used on the skin, it helps to control acne. In general it refreshes the skin and can also be used on insect bites.