8 Reasons You Need Black Pepper Essential Oil In Your Life
Black pepper is one of the most popular spices on this planet. Used all over the world to enhance all kinds of dishes, black pepper is praised not only for its strong, sharp flavor but its health benefits as well.
Now, if black pepper is strong, you can bet that black pepper essential oil is even stronger. Essential oils are the very essence of a plant. They are up to 100 times more potent than the plant itself, and so, black pepper essential oil condenses all those black pepper benefits into a versatile, volatile, and extremely powerful elixir.
Black pepper essential oil is extracted through either CO2 extraction or steam distillation. The active ingredient, piperine, adds to its powerful health benefits.
Not only does black pepper essential oil contain all the great health benefits of black pepper, but it also contains the general benefits that all essential oils offer—antioxidant, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.
Want to know how you can benefit from using black pepper essential oil? Read on to find out.
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1. Improves Digestion
Black pepper’s active compound, piperine, has antidiarrheal and antispasmodic activities. That means that it can help to cure both diarrhea and constipation as well as bloating, cramping, flatulence, and other symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The essential oil stimulates the digestive system and gets the digestive juices flowing for easier digestion.
Add a drop of organic black pepper essential oil to a glass of water first thing in the morning to get your digestive tract on track.
2. Supports Heart Health
If you aren’t doing things in your daily life to improve your heart health, it may be time to start focusing on it a little more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. One in every four deaths is a result of heart disease. (1)
Two main risk factors for heart disease are high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
Studies show that black pepper lowers cholesterol in that it reduces overall cholesterol levels and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, but it increases “good” HDL cholesterol levels. (2)
In addition, black pepper is known as a warming spice—meaning that it improves circulation and helps to lower blood pressure. (3)
The high concentration of antioxidants in black pepper essential oil ensure lower inflammation throughout the body, including in blood vessels and heart muscles, keeping cholesterol and blood pressure levels down and heart health up.
3. Boosts Immune Function
Black pepper essential oil contains many protective properties for good health. Studies show that black pepper essential oil contains powerful antibacterial effects against all kinds of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus (causes a staph infection), Bacillus cereus (causes foodborne illness), and Streptococcus faecalis (causes strep throat infection). (4)
It also contains antifungal and antiviral properties, keeping the body free from infection and even fighting off antibiotic-resistant forms of infection.
4. Relieves Pain
Piperine, that important active compound in black pepper, exhibits analgesic, antispasmodic, anticonvulsant, and anti-inflammatory properties. (5)(6)(7)
These amazing black pepper properties are even more potent in black pepper essential oil. It helps to ease muscle spasms and pains, reduce arthritic symptoms, ease pain and symptoms of epilepsy, and much more.
5. Exhibits Anti-cancer Effects
Extensive research has been done on the antitumor, anticancer effects of piperine, and the results are amazing.
Piperine helps to stop cancer cell growth and induce cancer cell death in many types of cancer, including breast, prostate, rectal, and lung cancers. (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)
Furthermore, piperine enhances the anticancer activity of another powerful compound, curcumin, and increases its bioavailability in the body. (13)
6. Reduces Anxiety
Used aromatically, black pepper essential oil has incredible calming effects. It is known to ground the senses and emotions and helps to relieve stress and anxiety.
Combine black pepper essential oil with juniper berry oil or cedarwood oil in a diffuser to enhance its effects.
RELATED: 8 Powerful Ways to Use Essential Oils to Reduce Stress and Feel Great
7. Detoxifies the Body
Black pepper essential oil is packed with antioxidants that seek out toxins, also called free radicals, and neutralize them. The antioxidants also help to repair any free radical damage that may have been caused.
In addition, black pepper essential oil helps you detox because it has a warming effect in the body, and so it causes extra sweating and urination, leading to the better removal of toxins.
7. Acts as An Appetite Stimulant
As mentioned above, black pepper essential oil helps to get your digestive juices going for better digestion. Surprisingly, its appetite stimulant effects go beyond that.
Studies show that when black pepper essential oil is used aromatically, it can wake up the sense and promote swallowing in people with neurological disorders. Inhalation and ingestion of black pepper oil can even improve the swallowing movement in pediatric patients with severe neurological disorders. (14)
How to Use Black Pepper Essential Oil
Like most other essential oils, black pepper oil can be used topically, aromatically, and internally.
When buying black pepper essential oil, make sure to get only an organic, high-quality 100 percent pure product.
To use black pepper oil topically: Mix a few drops of black pepper essential oil with a carrier oil (almond oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, etc.) and apply it to a small area first to make sure you don’t have a sensitivity to it. The black pepper oil will create a warming sensation on the skin. Apply to the bottoms of your feet for a quick pick-me-up after sleeping or to sore, achy muscles for pain relief.
To use black pepper oil internally: Add only 1–2 drops to a smoothie, a cup of tea, or a soup. The essential oil is very powerful, so make sure not to add more than two drops. Use it to cure gastrointestinal discomfort, to increase circulation, to improve heart health, and to improve detoxification.
To use black pepper oil aromatically: Simply add a few drops of black pepper oil to a diffuser alone or with other essential oils for stress and anxiety relief, or sniff it straight from the bottle for a quick fix.
RELATED: Aromatherapy Decoded: Essential Oils Use Chart
Precautions
It is important to remember just how strong black pepper essential oil is. If too much is ingested, it can cause irritation to the digestive system. If too much is applied topically, it can irritate the skin, causing a rash or a burning sensation. Make sure to stick with only 1–2 drops when ingesting or applying topically.
Conclusion
Black pepper essential oil is an excellent addition to your cabinet for several reasons. Its numerous health benefits make it one essential oil you’ll want to try today.
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Sources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_heart_disease.htm
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3083808/#R48
- https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/21033621
- http://nopr.niscair.res.in/handle/123456789/9828
- https://arthritis-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/ar2662
- http://www.journal.unair.ac.id/filerPDF/FMI-41-3-01.pdf
- https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_bbs/171/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367326X02003040
- https://www.nature.com/articles/aps2011209
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691513005498
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014480012001554
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13277-013-1433-4
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10549-009-0612-x
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18441508
More Information:
–https://draxe.com/black-pepper-essential-oil/
–https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/black-pepper-essential-oil/
–https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/spotlight-black-pepper-oil
