Western Bulk Herbs – Black Peppercorns

Black Peppercorns have been known to help in cases of asthma, boils, cholera, colic, cough, diarrhea, fever, gas, and gastric ailments. However, it’s been noted to work on hemorrhoids, indigestion, chronic rheumatism, obesity, phlegm, sinus congestion, skin diseases, sore throat, and worms.

Black pepper is one of those all-around healing herbs that will help with most problems. It’s one of the reasons it’s used on food, so it will be passed down through the ages and not be forgotten as an all-around herbal remedy.

Peppers also been used to relieve nausea and stimulate the appetite. In tests, pepper’s stimulant properties show it has the ability to work on constipations and the urinary organs. It will also correct flatulence (gas) and stimulant action to aids digestion.

It’s been known to ease the pain of aching muscles, cramps and arthritis as well as aiding the self-healing process associated with colds, coughs, flu, colic, and chills.

Latin Name:
Piper nigrum

Common Names:
Pepper, Black Pepper, Peppercorns

Parts Used:
Dried berry

Properties:
Pepper has aromatic, stimulant, and carminative properties. It also has anthelmintic, anti-pyretic, anti-periodic, carminative, expectorant, tonic, diaphoretic, aromatic pungent, febrifuge, stimulant. Externally, it is a resolvent, rubefacient, and stimulant.

Topical Uses / Applications:
Usually used as a powder.

Culinary Uses:
Can be used in anything you want to use pepper on.

Chemical Properties:
Pepper contains Piperine, which is identical in composition to morphia, a resin called Chavicin. It also contains starch, cellulose and colouring.

Cautions:

Do not use in early pregnancy or nursing. Do not take large amounts. You should use pepper if you have kidney problems since the oil is thought to stimulate the kidneys.

Folk Lore:
From Hippocrates time, Pepper has been used as a medicine and condiment. East Africans believe that body odor produced after eating substantial amounts of pepper repels mosquitoes. In India, it had been used as a medicine for variety of ailments from paralysis to toothache.

It was one of the highly sought-after spices and in some countries used as money or as a trade item.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.