Black Pepper: Temperament, Benefits and Cautions

Farzollah Gholizadeh and Fariba Bayrami

Black pepper’s profile, hot and dry temperament, correctives by temperament, traditional uses and Dr Kalan’s advice.

Black pepper has antibacterial, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties, and used in moderation it helps with many problems.

Profile

• Latin: Piper nigrum L.
• German: schwarzer Pfeffer
• English: black pepper
• Spanish: pimienta negra
• French: poivre noir
• Family: Piperaceae (pepper family)
• Genus: Piper
• Temperament: hot and dry
• Correctives (muslih): violet oil for hot temperaments, honey for cold temperaments
• Constituents: piperine, starch, potassium, magnesium, iron, and vitamins A, C and K
• Native range: India
• Grown in: Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia and South America; in Turkey only on a very small scale around Antalya and the Mediterranean
• Soil: tropical, moist and rich
• Types: depending on when it is harvested and how it is sun-dried: dark (brown-black), Malabar (light grey), white, red and green pepper
• Harvest: from vines at least four years old, as soon as the berries start to change colour and before they are fully ripe. It can be harvested up to twice a year, for about seven years.
• Part used: the berries
• Forms of use: spice, essential oil

Traditional uses

• Helpful in stomach and digestive problems
• Helps with cough and colds
• Speeds up metabolism
• Promotes sweating and is diuretic

Dr Kalan’s advice

Dryness and heat dominate black pepper’s nature. For this reason, heavy use is not recommended for anyone except people with a phlegmatic (balghami) temperament, and especially not for bilious (safravi) people of bilious age (young adulthood). It can dry out sperm and semen, and cause skin problems such as dryness, wrinkles, spots and darkening.

In other cases, moderate use helps with many problems. It is antibacterial, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory and antifungal, and is used for clearing the vessels, cough, sinusitis and blocked nose.

Because it is strongly drying, it is especially recommended for phlegmatic temperaments. For severe constipation, boiling the peppercorns for about five minutes, leaving them for half an hour and then drinking the water is traditionally helpful. It strengthens digestion and expels gas from the stomach and intestines. It strengthens memory and the nerves, eases muscle pain and helps with stomach complaints caused by cold. It reduces blood clotting. In traditional medicine it is used in moderation with walnuts to reduce excess moisture in the brain, for example in people with epilepsy; this is a traditional supportive use and never a replacement for prescribed treatment. It reduces sticky phlegm in the body.

In fever and shivering, drinking water in which peppercorns have been boiled is very helpful. It increases sweating and urination and raises stomach acid. It can support weight loss as part of a balanced diet. In phlegmatic temperaments it increases libido and vitality. Adding black pepper to restaurant food that has been kept for a while reduces its harmful effects.

It is very effective at making heavy foods such as beef and fish lighter, removing their heaviness, coldness and tendency to cause gas.

Strong heat destroys its volatile oils, so it is better not to add it during cooking but at the end. Good-quality black pepper is expensive. In the Middle Ages the rich displayed their status with pepper, and in ancient Greece it was even given as a gift.

Using black pepper with turmeric greatly increases the absorption of curcumin; this combination is especially good for the memory.

Safety

• Heavy use, especially on its own, slows the elimination of phenytoin, a medicine used for epilepsy, and piperine can change the levels of several other medicines. Ask your doctor if you take regular medication.
• It reduces blood clotting: take care with blood thinners.
• It can aggravate reflux, gastritis and haemorrhoids.