Black pepper (Piper Nigrum)

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the Piperaceae family, grown for its fruits, which are usually dried and used as spices and herbs. The fruit, which, when dried, is known as a peppercorn, is about 5 millimeters in diameter and dark red in color when it is fully ripe. Like all stone fruits, the fruit contains a single seed. By drying these fruits one gets peppercorns. There are 3 types of peppercorns, namely; black pepper (the dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruits after preservation in vinegar or salt water, for example) and white pepper (the dried unripe fruits that have been stripped of their skins after fermentation).

The sharp taste of black pepper is due to the chemical piperine. Black pepper is widely represented in the industrialized world, often combined with table salt.

Black pepper contains between 4.6% and 9.7% piperine. Piperine has been proven to dramatically increase the absorption of selenium, vitamin B, beta-carotene, curcumin and other nutrients.

Piperine, the active phenol compound in black pepper, acts as a heat-inducing compound. Piperine increases the heat production of lipid, accelerates metabolism in the body and increases serotonin and β endorphins in the brain.