The Repurposing Life

Black Pepper Essential Oil Health and Beauty Benefits

In recent decades, scientific research has explored the many possible black pepper essential oil health and beauty benefits, such as relief from aches and pains, lowering cholesterol, detoxifying the body and enhancing circulation. It is considered a digestive, diaphoretic, carminative, aperient, antispasmodic, antirheumatic, antiarthritic, antibacterial, and antioxidant substance.

Black pepper is one of the most widely used spices on the planet. It’s valued not only as a flavoring agent in our meals, but also for a variety of other purposes, such as medicinal uses, as a preservative and in perfumery.

Black pepper’s major active phytochemical compound, piperine, has been shown to have many beneficial health attributes including possible anticancer properties, which is why researchers have looked into it for inclusion in diet therapy for cancer treatment as well as cancer prevention.

Check out our post recipes using black pepper essential oil for recipes incorporating this beneficial oil. Before using black pepper essential oi in any form, first read through all the precautions, since this ingredient can cause adverse reactions in some people

Name	Scientific Name	Origin	Benefits	Caution	Storage
Black Pepper	Piper nigrum	Southeast or South Asia	Aids the digestive and nervous systems—stimulating circulation, promoting emotional balance, stimulating appetite and reducing cholesterol levels. Helps detoxify the body, and adds flavor to food. It can help quit smoking through the warming sensation it creates in the throat and chest when inhaled. It helps ease anxiety and nervousness when inhaled or diffused.	Should be diluted into a carrier oil, ointment, gel or cream. Should never be used on broken or damaged skin. Do not apply directly to open wounds. Never use black pepper essential oil in eyes or in mucous membranes. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid if you have hypersensitive skin, or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.	Airtight dark glass kept in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Description of Pepper Plants

Black pepper is native to either Southeast or South Asia. Within the genus Piper, the pepper plants or pepper vines, is a genus in the family Piperaceae. it is most closely related to other Asian species such as P. caninum. The pepper plant is a perennial (a plant that lives more than two years) woody vine growing up to 13 feet (4 meters) in height on supporting trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, rooting readily where trailing stems touch the ground.

Leaves

The leaves are alternate, entire, 2.0–3.9 inches (5–10 cm) long and 1.2–2.4 inches (3–6 cm) across. The flowers are small, produced on pendulous spikes 1.6–3.1 inches (4–8 cm) long at the leaf nodes, the spikes lengthening up to 2.8–5.9 inches (7–15 cm) as the fruit matures.

Soil Conditions

Pepper can be grown in soil that is neither too dry nor susceptible to flooding, moist, well–drained, and rich in organic matter. The vines do not do well over an altitude of 3,000 feet (900 meters) above sea level. The plants are propagated by cuttings about 16–20 inches (40–50 cm) long, tied up to neighboring trees or climbing frames at distances of about 6 feet 7 inches (2 meters) apart.

Trees with rough bark are favored over those with smooth bark, as the pepper plants climb rough bark more readily. Competing plants are cleared away, leaving only sufficient trees to provide shade and permit free ventilation. The roots are covered in leaf mulch (a layer of material applied to the surface of soil) and manure (organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer consisting of animal feces, compost and “green” manure), and the shoots are trimmed twice a year.

On dry soils, the young plants require watering every other day during the dry season for the first three years. The plants bear fruit from the fourth or fifth year, and then typically for seven years. The cuttings are usually cultivars (a plant people have selected for desired traits), selected both for yield and quality of fruit.

Fruit

A single stem bears anywhere between 20–30 fruiting spikes. The harvest begins as soon as one or two fruits at the base of the spikes begin to turn red, and before the fruit is fully mature, and still hard; if allowed to ripen completely, the fruits lose pungency, and ultimately fall off and are lost. The spikes are collected and spread out to dry in the sun, then the peppercorns are stripped off the spikes.

Plant Origin of Black Peppercorns

Black pepper essential oil is derived from the dried fruit of the pepper plant, Piper nigrum, a condiment or a spice that is commonly used in culinary applications throughout the world. This essential oil has a spicy, warm, peppery and musky aroma.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering (angiosperm) vine (a plant with trailing stems) in the family Piperaceae. Piperaceae is a large family of flowering plants that can be found within the two main genera: Piper and Peperomia, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning.

The fruit is a drupe (an indehiscent type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a single shell of hardened endocarp with a seed “kernel” inside) which is about 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter (fresh and fully mature), dark red, and contains a stone (a pyrena or pyrene, produced by the ossification of the endocarp or lining of the fruit) which encloses a single pepper seed.

Peppercorns and the ground pepper derived from them may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper (cooked and dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit), or white pepper (ripe fruit seeds).

Ground, dried, and cooked peppercorns have been used since antiquity, both for flavor and as a traditional medicine. Black pepper is the world’s most traded spice, and is one of the most common spices added to cuisines around the world. Its spiciness is due to the chemical compound piperine, which is different from the spiciness of the capsaicin characteristic of chili peppers. It is ubiquitous in the Western world as a seasoning, and is often paired with salt and available on dining tables in shakers or mills.

The Etymology of Pepper

The word pepper derives from Old English (the earliest recorded form of the English language) pipor, Latin piper, and Greek: πέπερι. The Greek likely derives from Dravidian (a family of languages spoken mainly in southern India, north–east Sri Lanka, and south–west Pakistan) pippali, meaning “long pepper”. Sanskrit (a classical language belonging to the Indo–Aryan branch of the Indo–European languages) pippali shares the same meaning.

In the 16^th century, people began using pepper to also mean the New World chili pepper (from Nahuatl chīlli, are varieties of the berry–fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, native to the Americas which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae), which is not closely related.

The Varieties of Peppercorns

Processed peppercorns come in a variety of colors, any one of which may be used in food preparation, especially the common peppercorn sauce (steak au poivre), a culinary cream sauce prepared with a variety of peppercorns, which is prepared as a reduction of the cream in the cooking process.

1. Black Peppercorns: black pepper is produced from the still–green, unripe drupe of the pepper plant. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. On some estates, the berries are separated from the stem by hand and then sun–dried without boiling. After the peppercorns are dried, pepper “spirit” (tincture) and essential oil can be extracted from the berries. Pepper spirit is used in many medicinal and beauty products. Pepper essential oil is also used as an Ayurvedic massage oil and in certain beauty and herbal treatments.
2. White Peppercorns: white pepper consists solely of the seed of the ripe fruit of the pepper plant, with the thin darker–colored skin (flesh) of the fruit removed. This is usually accomplished by a process known as “retting”, which employs the action of microorganisms and moisture on plants to dissolve or rot away much of the cellular tissues and pectin surrounding the bast–fiber, facilitating the separation of the fiber from the stem. Sometimes the outer layer is removed from the seed through other mechanical, chemical, or biological methods. Ground white pepper is commonly used in Chinese, Thai, and Portuguese cuisines. However, white pepper lacks certain compounds present in the outer layer of the drupe, resulting in a different overall flavor.
3. Green Peppercorns: green pepper, like black pepper, is made from unripe drupes. Dried green peppercorns are treated in a way that retains the green color, such as with sulfur dioxide (SO₂), canning, or freeze–drying. Pickled peppercorns, also green, are unripe drupes preserved in brine or vinegar. Fresh, unpreserved green pepper drupes are used in some cuisines like Thai cuisine and Tamil cuisine. They decay quickly if not dried or preserved, making them unsuitable for international shipping.
4. Red Peppercorns: red peppercorns usually consist of ripe peppercorn drupes preserved in brine and vinegar. Ripe red peppercorns can also be dried using the same color–preserving techniques used to produce green pepper.
5. Pink Peppercorns: pink peppercorns are dried berries referring to three different species; the traditional Baies rose plant Euonymus phellomanus, are the fruits of the Peruvian pepper tree, Schinus molle, or its relative, the Brazilian pepper tree, Schinus terebinthifolius, plants from a different family, Anacardiaceae. As they are members of the cashew family, they may cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, for persons with a tree nut allergy.

The Production and Trade of Black Pepper

In 2020, Vietnam was the world’s largest producer and exporter of black peppercorns, producing 270,192 tonnes (metric tons) or 36% of the world total. Other major producers were Brazil, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, China, and Malaysia. Global pepper production varies annually according to crop management, disease, and weather. Peppercorns are among the most widely traded spice in the world, accounting for 20% of all spice imports.

The History of Pepper

Black pepper is native to South or Southeast Asia, and has been used in Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE. J. Innes Miller notes that while pepper was grown in southern Thailand and in Malaysia, its most important source was India, particularly the Malabar Coast, the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent.

Peppercorns were a much–prized trade good, often referred to as “black gold” and used as a form of commodity money. The legacy of this trade remains in some Western legal systems that recognize the term “peppercorn rent” as a token payment for something that is, essentially, a gift.

Ancient Egypt

Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II (the third Egyptian pharaoh ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty), placed there as part of the mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE. Little else is known about the use of pepper in ancient Egypt and how it reached the Nile from the Malabar Coast of South Asia.

Ancient Greece

Pepper (both long and black) was known in Greece at least as early as the fourth century BCE, though it was probably an uncommon and expensive item that only the very rich could afford. By the time of the early Roman Empire, especially after Rome’s conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE, open–ocean crossing of the Arabian Sea direct to Chera dynasty southern India’s Malabar Coast was near routine.

Ancient Rome

Black pepper was a well–known and widespread, if expensive, seasoning in the Roman Empire. Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus, a Roman author, naturalist, philosopher, and naval & army commander), authored Natural History (the largest single Roman work to have survived). In it he wrote about the price of peppercorns in Rome around 77 CE.

Post Classical Europe

Pepper was so valuable that it was often used as collateral or even currency. The taste for pepper (and the appreciation of its monetary value) was passed on to those who would see Rome fall. Alaric I, the first king (395–410 AD) of the Visigoths (a Germanic people living within the Roman Empire), included 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of the ransom he demanded from Rome when he besieged the city in the fifth century. 

Handheld pepper mills or grinders, which mechanically grind or crush whole peppercorns, are used as an alternative to pepper shakers that dispense already ground pepper. Spice mills such as pepper mills were found in European kitchens as early as the 14^th century, but the mortar & pestle, used for crushing and grinding whole peppercorns, which preceded these mills remained a popular method for centuries.

China

It is possible that black pepper was known in China in the second century BCE, according to poetic reports by explorer Tang Meng. Sent by Emperor Wu (the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty 141–87 BC) to what is now Southwest China. Tang Meng is said to have come across something called jujiang or “sauce–betel”. He was told it came from the markets of Shu, an ancient kingdom in what is now the Sichuan Province in Southwest China. Traditionally, historians believed that “sauce–betel” was a sauce made from betel leaves, but some arguments to the contrary assert that it actually refers to pepper, either long or black.

Black Pepper in Traditional Medicine

Like many eastern spices, pepper was historically both a seasoning and a traditional medicine. Black pepper (or perhaps long pepper) was believed to cure several illnesses, such as constipation, insomnia, oral abscesses, sunburn and toothaches, among others. 

Black pepper contains phytochemical compounds, including amides, piperidines, pyrrolidines (also known as tetrahydropyrrole), and trace amounts of safrole (found in sassafras plants), which may be carcinogenic in laboratory rodents.

Black pepper essential oil is rich in vitamin A (beta–carotene), which has great antioxidant activity. Contains Vitamin K, which is essential for maintaining proper circulatory and metabolic functions. It also contains calcium, potassium and selenium. Calcium makes for healthy bones and potassium is needed for regulating blood pressure.

Selenium is required for the proper formation of bones, nails, hair follicles and teeth, as well as for proper brain function. Piperine is under study for its potential to increase absorption of selenium, vitamin B₁₂, beta–carotene and curcumin (the main phytochemical compound in turmeric), as well as other compounds. Piperine is also under study for a variety of possible physiological effects.

The Phytochemistry of Black Pepper Essential Oil

Black pepper gets its spicy heat mainly from piperine, which is derived from both the outer fruit and the seed. Black pepper contains about 4.6%–9.7% piperine by mass, and white pepper slightly more than that. Refined piperine, by weight, is only about one percent as hot as the capsaicin found in chili peppers.

The outer fruit layer left on black pepper also contains aroma–contributing terpenes, including germacrene (11%), limonene (10%), pinene (10%), alpha–phellandrene (9%), and beta–caryophyllene (7%), which add citrusy, woody, and floral notes.

Other components of black pepper essential oil are myrcene, beta–bisabolene, sabinene, linalool, pinocarveol, alpha–termineol, camphene and alpha–terpenene. Black pepper is also rich in minerals and vitamins like calcium, manganese, iron, vitamin K, beta–carotene, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium.

Pepper loses flavor and aroma through evaporation, airtight storage helps preserve its pungency longer. Pepper can also lose flavor when exposed to light, which can transform (through isomerization) piperine into nearly tasteless isochavicine. Once ground, pepper’s aromatics can evaporate quickly; for this reason most culinary sources recommend grinding whole peppercorns immediately before use.

Enhancing the flavor profile of peppercorns (including piperine and essential oils), prior to processing, has been attempted through the postharvest application of ultraviolet–C (UV–C) light.

The Health Benefits of Black Pepper Essential Oil

Black pepper essential oil is obtained either through CO₂ extraction or steam distillation. The essential oil has a spicy, warm, peppery and musky aroma. It’s commonly used to aid the digestive and nervous systems—stimulating circulation and promoting emotional balance.

Black pepper possesses a unique versatility that’s both energizing and warming. In addition to invigorating the senses, it can be used to enhance mental clarity. For these qualities, it is a favorite among athletes and those with active lifestyles. Black pepper essential oil is also an important food due to its antioxidant, antimicrobial potential and gastro–protective modules.

Its active ingredient, piperine, gives black pepper a rich phytochemistry that also includes volatile oils, oleoresins and alkaloids. If you’re interested in greater detail, read this PDF on the Black Pepper Essential Oil Health and Beauty Benefits. The most common health benefits attributed to black pepper essential oil are discussed below.

1. Relieves Aches and Pains

Because of its warming, anti–inflammatory and antispasmodic properties, black pepper essential oil stimulates and improves circulation, and helps break down lactic acid build up to reduce muscle injuries, tendonitis, and symptoms of arthritis and rheumatism.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine assessed the efficacy of aromatic essential oils on neck pain. Patients used a 3% concentration cream containing black pepper, marjoram, lavender and peppermint essential oils. They applied 2 g of this cream to their necks daily after showering or bathing for a four–week period. The group reported improved pain tolerance and significant improvement of neck pain.

2. Aids Digestion

Black pepper essential oil may help ease the discomfort of constipation, diarrhea and gas. In vitro and in vivo animal research has shown that depending on the dosage, black pepper’s piperine exhibits antidiarrheal and antispasmodic activities or it can actually have a spasmodic effect, which is helpful for constipation relief. Check out our simple DIY Roller Recipe for Belly Discomfort.

Black pepper essential oil is beneficial for digestion because it stimulates the whole digestive system, from the salivary glands to the large intestine, and promotes the secretion of digestive juices like bile that facilitate digestion.

Overall, black pepper and piperine appear to have possible medicinal uses for gastrointestinal motility disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A study published in 2013 looked at the effects of piperine on animal subjects with IBS as well as depression–like behavior.

The researchers found that the animal subjects who were given piperine showed improvements in behavior as well as an overall improvement in serotonin regulation and balance in both their brains and colons. How does this apply to IBS? There is evidence that abnormalities in brain–gut signaling and serotonin metabolism play a role in IBS.

3. Lowers Cholesterol 

A 2002 animal study inthe Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition on the hypolipidemic (lipid–lowering) effect of black pepper in rats fed a high–fat diet showed a decrease in the levels of cholesterol, free fatty acids, phospholipids and triglycerides.

Researchers found that supplementation with black pepper elevated the concentration of HDL (good) cholesterol and reduced the concentration of LDL (bad) cholesterol and VLDL (very low–density lipoprotein) cholesterol in the plasma of rats fed high–fat foods. This is just some of the research that points toward using black pepper essential oil internally to reduce high triglycerides and improve total cholesterol levels.

4. Has Anti–Virulence Properties

The long–term use of antibiotics has resulted in the evolution of multidrug–resistant bacteria. Research published in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology found that black pepper extract contains anti–virulence properties, meaning it targets bacterial virulence without affecting cell viability, making drug resistance less likely.

The study showed that after screening 83 essential oils, black pepper, cananga and myrrh oil inhibited Staphylococcus aureus (staph) biofilm formation and “almost abolished” the hemolytic (destruction of red blood cells) activity of S. aureus bacteria.

5. Lowers Blood Pressure

When black pepper essential oil is taken internally, it may promote healthy circulation and even lower high blood pressure. An animal study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology demonstrates how black pepper’s active component, piperine, possesses a blood pressure–lowering effect.

Black pepper is known in Ayurvedic medicine for its warming properties that can be helpful to circulation and heart health when used internally or applied topically. Mixing black pepper essential oil with cinnamon (cassia) or turmeric essential oils can enhance these warming properties.

6. Exhibits Anticancer Activity

According to a 2010 study conducted at Michigan State University, black pepper extract and its phytochemical compounds exhibit anti–inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer activities. The researchers found that the piperine and alkyl amides found in black pepper both had dose–dependent abilities to inhibit human cancer cell proliferation.

Animal research has demonstrated how piperine assists in cognitive brain functioning, boosts nutrient absorption and improves gastrointestinal functionality. Animal research has also found that the free–scavenging activity of black pepper and its active ingredients may make it helpful to regulate tumor progression and also act as a general chemoprevention substance.

7. Antioxidant–Free Radical Fighter

Black pepper essential oil offers protection from the adverse health effects caused by free radicals. It can also help reverse existing damage. Adding black pepper essential oil to face creams and serums and using these beauty products consistently, may decrease the appearance of fine lines.

8. Eases Feelings of Anxiety

Many people use aromatherapy to relax and unwind. Aromatherapy can also be used in the morning to jumpstart your day. Diffusing black pepper essential oil can help you remain sharp, focused, and alert, and also improve memory. Check out our simple DIY Black Pepper Diffuser Blends.

9. Eases Cigarette Cravings

A 2013 study found that inhaling black pepper essential oil significantly helped reduce cravings for cigarettes and symptoms of anxiety in smokers deprived from smoking. Another 2013 study at a community college in rural East Texas tested both angelica and black pepper essential oils and found that both reduced cravings—black pepper essential oil performed better at reducing cravings but angelica essential oil produced longer lasting effects.

A clinical study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that black pepper essential oil can suppress certain smoking withdrawal symptoms, including cravings for cigarettes. Forty–eight cigarette smokers participated in a three–hour session conducted after overnight deprivation from smoking.

The participants were divided into three groups: one group of smokers puffed on a device that delivered a vapor from black pepper essential oil; a second group puffed on a device with a mint/menthol cartridge; and a third group used a device containing an empty cartridge.

After puffing and inhaling from the devices throughout the session, reported cravings for cigarettes were significantly reduced in the black pepper group relative to each of the two control groups. In addition, negative effects and symptoms of anxiety were alleviated in the black pepper group, and participants reported that the intensity of sensations in the chest were much greater with the black pepper cartridge.

In her book Aromatherapy Science, Maria Lis–Balchin mentions a small study that may indicate that cigarette cravings may be decreased by inhaling black pepper essential oil. Check out our simple DIY Black Pepper Inhaler recipe to help you curb those cravings.

10. Helps Detoxify the Body

When ingested, black pepper essential oil increases sweating and urination. Both of these functions aid in the removal of toxins from the body and purging the pores of the skin. Sweating and urinating also help eliminate water retention and excess fats.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) essential oil and piperine has been shown to have “biotransformative effects” including detoxification and enhanced absorption and bioavailability of herbal and conventional drugs. This is why you may see piperine as an ingredient in your supplements. A 2013 animal study published in Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics found that piperine supplementation helped normalize blood pressure, improve glucose tolerance, decrease inflammation and boost liver function in rats fed a high–fat diet.

These positive results suggest that piperine may be able to help reduce symptoms of human metabolic syndrome by helping the body remove toxins and reduce inflammation, benefiting people suffering from chronic rheumatism, arthritis, and gout.

11. Serves as an Appetite Stimulant

Research shows that olfactory stimulation using black pepper essential oil, which is a strong appetite stimulant, can facilitate swallowing in people with neurological disorders. Inhalation and ingestion of black pepper essential oil activates the insular or orbitofrontal cortex, resulting in improvement of the reflexive swallowing movement.

In 2008, the effects of olfactory stimulation with black pepper essential oil were investigated in pediatric patients receiving long–term enteral nutrition (feeding with liquid supplements or tube feeding) due to neurological disorders. In eight out of 10 patients, black pepper essential oil intervention was continued for three months, and five patients showed increases in the amount of oral intake—plus black pepper treatment helped facilitate swallowing movement.

12. Can Be Used as Food Preservative

Black and green pepper essential oils were used in a 2015 in vitro study in order to figure out the antimicrobial activity against microorganisms that cause food spoilage. Researchers found that both pepper oils displayed antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial activity.

Both oils successfully inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in chicken soup. The results of this study demonstrate how both green pepper and black pepper essential oils are efficient in controlling the growth of known food–spoilage microorganisms.

How to Use Black Pepper Essential Oil

There are so many ways to use black pepper essential oil, and its uses go far beyond flavoring your food. Black pepper essential oil blends well with bergamot, cedarwood, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, copaiba, coriander, fennel, frankincense, ginger, geranium, grapefruit, juniper, lavender, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, rose, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, vetiver and ylang–ylang oils.

• Combined with Lavender Essential Oil: lavender oil is one of the most popular essential oils used in aromatherapy due to its calming and relaxing properties. When blended with black pepper essential oil, it enhances its calming effects, making it an excellent choice for reducing stress and anxiety. A simple recipe for a lavender and black pepper blend could include 3 drops of black pepper essential oil, 3 drops of lavender essential oil, and 1 Tbsp. of carrier oil.
• Combined with Peppermint Essential Oil: when blended with black pepper essential oil, peppermint essential oil creates a powerful analgesic blend that can be used topically or inhaled through a diffuser. A simple recipe for a peppermint and black pepper blend consists of 3 drops of black pepper essential oil, 3 drops of peppermint essential oil, and 1 Tbsp. of carrier oil.

Therapeutic Uses of Black Pepper Essential Oil

Black pepper essential oil won’t irritate eyes or cause you to sneeze like ground peppercorns can. That is because it does not contain piperine, although piperine is a major component of the peppercorn itself. It can be used as a substitute for pink pepper essential oil. Here are some easy ways to use black pepper essential oil at home:

1. Increase circulation and blood flow to the muscles and nerves, add 3–5 drops of black pepper essential oil to a warm compress and apply to the abdomen or areas of concern.
2. Ease the discomfort of constipation, diarrhea and gas, take 1–2 drops of black pepper essential oil internally by adding it to a smoothie, soup or savory dish. It can also be applied topically to the abdomen.
3. Help alleviate nausea, add 1–2 a drops of black pepper essential oil to a tissue or handkerchief and slowly inhale.
4. Relieve muscle injuries and tendonitis, apply black pepper essential oil topically to the area of concern.
5. Aid respiratory conditions, take internally or inhale the oil directly from the bottle.
6. Relieve congested airways, apply 2–3 drops topically to the chest.
7. Reduce cigarette cravings, add black pepper essential oil to a diffuser, or add into a pot of hot water to use it as a steam, or inhale it directly from the bottle when having a craving.
8. Use it as a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatism, apply 2–3 drops topically to the area of concern.
9. Help detoxify the body, take 1–2 drops internally or apply 2–3 drops topically to the bottoms of the feet.

Precautions

Black pepper essential oil is available as a 100% pure essential oil in some health food stores and online. Black pepper essential oil can be inhaled directly from the bottle, diffused at home for a warming aroma, taken internally in small doses (always read product direction labels carefully) and applied topically.

When buying black pepper essential oil, especially for internal use, be sure to purchase a high–quality, 100 percent pure–grade product that’s made by a trustworthy and reputable company. Because of its potent medicinal properties, you want to use the best product you can find.

You should also look for an oil that is CO₂–extracted rather than steam distilled. CO₂ extraction means that chemicals like hexane or ethanol were left out of the process, which is a healthier method.

When applied topically, black pepper essential oil creates a warming sensation, so use in small doses. It can be a strong irritant in high doses and should not be applied to skin before it is diluted into an ointment, gel or cream, or a carrier oil (like sweet almond or jojoba). Coconut oil is also a good choice, either fractionated coconut oil or virgin coconut oil.

A safe dilution ratio for black pepper essential oil is 1–2 drops per teaspoon of carrier oil, especially when applying the oil to sensitive skin. In any form, black pepper essential oil should never be used on broken or damaged skin. Do not apply directly to open wounds.

Black pepper essential oil should only be used for topical application. Never use black pepper essential oil in eyes or in mucous membranes. Never ingest essential oils. Avoid prolonged use, prolonged use may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.

Drug Interactions

If you are currently taking any medications or have any ongoing health issues, speak with your doctor before using black pepper essential oil. Also speak with your doctor first before using this oil topically or internally if you are pregnant or nursing.

Contraindications

Wear gloves if handling this essential oil in its pure form as direct contact may cause allergic dermatitis (an allergic reaction of the skin). Only use black pepper essential oil in diluted form. Black pepper essential oil can have a long shelf life if stored properly in tightly–sealed dark glass containers. Keep in a cool and dry place, such as a dresser drawer or kitchen cabinet, away from extreme heat and cold temperatures.

Children and Pregnant or Nursing Mothers

Topical use of black pepper essential oil may not safe for people with hypersensitive skin, or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding due to a lack of safety information. Black pepper essential oil may be used safely by pregnant or breastfeeding women strictly for aromatherapy in a diffuser, with a recommended dose of no more than 4 drops with a little water and only for 15 minutes at a time with very long breaks in between.

Use essential oils with extreme caution on children, do not use black pepper essential oil on children. Some brands clearly label their essential oils “KidSafe” on the bottle if it can be used on children ages 2–10. When applying black pepper essential oil topically (on your skin), always perform a 24–hour skin patch test first using 1–2 drops, read how for further details. Keep out of the reach of children and pets.

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