Black pepper essential oil can be used in your aromatherapy formulas and in perfumery. The essential oil is extracted from dried, fully grown yet unripe fruit of the pepper plant - a perennial woody vine with heart shaped leaves and small white flowers. A native to south west India, pepper is cultivated primarily in tropical climates.

Black pepper has been used since antiquity in the culinary and healing arts. Indian monks had been prescribed seven to nine peppercorns a day in times of distant traveling - apparently it is a great energizer! In Chinese medicine, white pepper, from the fully ripened fruit, is used to treat malaria, cholera, dysentery, diarrhea and other digestive problems. In Greece it is used for fever and to support the stomach. The essential oil is noted specifically for its action for digestive complaints - it is a powerful digestive stimulant and remedy for dyspepsia, flatulence, nausea and appetite loss.

Black pepper is good in warming liniment formulas - for aches and pains, along with poor circulation in muscles and joints; it is thought to combine well with Basil oil for this application. It is included in many massage blends to increase blood flow, and may also actually stimulate blood production as a tonic for the spleen.

Fun results can also be obtained when using the oil in natural perfumes. Try combining a small amount with lavender, frankincense, cedarwood, and wherever you would like a hint of spice. Considered an aphrodisiac by some, we find black pepper essential oil to blend very nicely with our ylang-ylang select essential oil.

To learn more about the use of all our essential oils, we encourage you to visit The Ananda Apothecary Forums, where you can post questions regarding specific applications of each oil. Questions in the forums are regularly answered by Ananda Apothecary staff, and other experienced aromatherapy practitioners.