BLACK PEPPER
Piper nigrum
Common Name: Black pepper
Family: Piperaceae
Chinese Medicine Name:Hu jiao
Ayurvedic Name: Kali mirch, maricha
Used:Fruit
Actions: Alterative,  Anthelmintic, Anti-inflammatory,  Anticarcinogenic, Anticonvulsant, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Antitumor, Aperient, Carminative, Circulatory, Stimulant, Diaphoretic, Digestive  stimulant, Diuretic, Expectorant, Hepatoprotective, Rubefacient, Vasodilator
Taste: Pungent, Spicy
Energy: Dry Hot
Late 19th-century Physiomedicalist practitioner Dr. William Cook (1869) noted the use of black pepper to stimulate local and general circulation, for atonic conditions of the stomach, and for topical application in cases of gangrene. Practitioners of that time commonly isolated the alkaloid piperine through chemical procedures. Cook (1869)
 
Early 20th-century British herbal historian Maude Grieve (1931/1971) emphasized black pepper’s ability to stimulate the mucous membranes, especially in the rectum and urinary organs, and noted it could ease constipation and also inhibit griping induced by laxatives. She reported historical use for supporting a prolapsed rectum, and addressing gonorrhoea, atonic dyspepsia, flatulence, nausea, diarrhea, cholera, scarlatina, tinea capitis, and vertigo. Grieve (1931/1971) also noted that black pepper could accentuate the effect of quinine.
 
Ayurveda classifies black pepper as energetically pungent or hot, drying, and light, which can balance kapha dosha (which is cold and wet); it can also balance vata (cold and dry) if combined with moistening herbs or preparations and used in moderation (Khalsa & Tierra, 2008; Lad, 2012). Black pepper may increase pitta, which is hot, moist, and light (Lad, 2012). It is also a diuretic with strong drying effects in the body (Khalsa, 2010). Black pepper is a circulatory stimulant and vasodilator that moves blood and energy through the body (Khalsa, 2010). It can also support microcirculation in capillaries, which may benefit those suffering from cirrhosis, hepatitis, skin conditions of a stagnant nature, cold and congested uterus conditions, dysmenorrhoea, or amenorrhea (Pole, 2006). Those with atherosclerosis may benefit from the circulatory support and detoxifying effects of black pepper (Khalsa, 2010).