Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is known as a popular culinary spice with a kick around the world, but its essential oils are surprisingly mild and warming.
Black pepper is a climbing, woody vine with small white flowers, and when mature, it grows dark red berries. The vine clings to trees and can live for 20 years. It has been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. It became so popular during the eighteenth century that it once became an alternative form of currency known as "black gold."
The black peppercorns are picked when green, and they are usually slightly boiled and dried for a few days before the distillation process.
Keywords:
- Comforting
- Warming
- Restorative
Benefits for mental wellness:
- Exhaustion
- Nervousness
- Feeling of being overwhelmed
Aroma:
- Warm
- Slightly sweet
- Slight spicy
Key chemical constituents and their benefits for mental wellness:
- β-Caryophyllene - anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory
- (+)-Limonene - anagesic, anti-inflamamtory, anxiolytic
- α-pinene - analgesic, anxiolytic, sleep enhancement
- δ-3-Carene - anti-inflammatory
- β-Pinene - antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory
- Sabinene - anti-inflammatory
