Black Pepper Extract Uses, Benefits, Side Effects & Interactions

Black pepper extract (BPE) is made from the seeds (peppercorns) of the fruit of Piper nigrum.

This black pepper plant has been used throughout human history in a variety of traditional medicine systems and as a culinary spice.

The main bioactive constituent of Piper nigrum is an alkaloid called piperine. Black pepper extracts also contain various other isomers (forms) of piperine which are thought to exhibit health-boosting effects.

Supplements containing black pepper extract are used to boost the metabolism and support weight loss, prevent oxidative damage, support immune function and to stimulate digestion.

Piperine is also commonly combined with curcumin and other supplement ingredients to enhance their absorption from the gut. Research shows that this compound can increase the oral bioavailability of many drugs and supplements.

This article will review what black pepper extract is, how it is used, health benefits, side effects, dosages, and possible interactions with drugs and supplements.

Black Pepper Extract

Piperine

Herbal Supplement

Anti-Oxidant

Digestion

Joint Health

How It Works:

• Improves absoprtion of certain compounds from gut
• Supports digestive health & slows transit times
• Promotes joint comfort & functionality

Dosage:

20 mg per serving size

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe

Top Piperine Products* ❯

View User Ratings* ❯

Black pepper extract is made from the dried peppercorns of the Black pepper plant.

The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (NMCD) reports that black pepper extract contains various plant chemicals that induce physiological effects.

Black pepper contains volatile oils which are responsible for the extract’s pungent smell. They are estimated to make up between 0.4-7% of the pepper. [5]

The primary bioactive compound is called piperine, which is found in concentrations between 2-7.4%. This alkaloid is responsible for the sharp biting taste of black pepper. [5]

This plant extract also contains more than three dozen isomers of piperine including rotundone, pipnoohine, pipyahyine, trans-bergamotenes, guineensine, retrofracamides, pellitorine, limonene and gallic acid. [1]

These other isomers are found in much smaller amounts then piperine, which is estimated to make up around 98% of the total alkaloids found in black pepper. [5]

The extract also contains minerals including zinc, copper, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, aluminum, titanium, phosphorus, chloride and silicon. [1]

Black peppercorns have been used in traditional medicine practices in various South Asian countries for thousands of years, including Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani medicines. [6]

In Ayurvedic medicine in India, it has been used for digestion, appetite, coughs/colds, diabetes, and various digestive upsets including indigestion, constipation, flatulence, and diarrhea. [6]

In Unani medicine, it has also been used for indigestion and reducing stomach acidity, as well as colic. It has also been described as an aphrodisiac. [6]

Due to its long history of traditional use and because of its diverse range of phytonutrients, BPE has been extensively studied for its pharmacological effects.

Uses and Health Benefits

The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database reports that people take black pepper extract for many different uses, including:

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Cancer
• Cholera
• Colic
• Depression
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Vertigo (dizzy, whirling sensation)
• Weight loss [1]

According to the NMCD black pepper extract is also used orally for vitiligo (skin pigmentation loss), sinusitis, menstrual pain, rhinitis (runny nose), libido (sex drive) and flatulence (gas). [1]

A topical solution containing this ingredient is applied to the skin for scabies, neuralgia (nerve pain), measles and to reduce pain sensations. [1]

In traditional medicine, black pepper oil is inhaled for preventing falls, stopping smoking and improving swallowing dysfunction. [1]

These uses are primarily based on folklore medicine practices that have been passed down from generation to generation. At this time, research in humans is very limited.

More research is needed to determine the therapeutic efficacy of black pepper extract for these and any other uses.

The FDA has not approved black pepper extract as a drug to prevent or treat any medical conditions. It is available as a dietary supplement and cannot be promoted for the alleviation of health problems.

Effects on Gastrointestinal Absoprtion

Black pepper extract has been well-studied in humans for increasing the bioavailability and absorption of other active compounds from the gastrointestinal tract.

Bioavailability refers to the amount of a compound that is active in the body following administration.

For example, when you take a supplement like curcumin, only a small amount of this compound gets absorbed from the gut, survives metabolism in the body and reaches its therapeutic target to induce physiological effects.

This means that curcumin has low oral bioavailability. However, if you take it with piperine, it is better assimilated from the intestinal tract and used within the body.

Black pepper is known as a “bioenhancer,” meaning it helps certain other substances to be better absorbed in the body and have greater bioavailability.

Research shows that it works as a bioenhancer by increasing absorption of other compounds and inhibiting their metabolic breakdown by the liver. [3, 5]

One way that black pepper extract may increase bioavailability is through the action of piperine on the glucuronidation process.

Piperine has been observed to inhibit glucuronidation. In the liver, the body attaches glucuronide molecules to certain compounds which causes them to be eliminated from the body via fecal or urinary excretion. [7]

While this is a protective mechanism to prevent the build-up of toxic substances in the body, it can also cause beneficial drugs and supplements to not be absorbed and utilized optimally.

Black pepper extract helps slow down the excretion of these compounds allowing them to be more effective at their therapeutic targets. [3, 5]

This extract may also work by stimulating the actions of amino acid transporters in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. These transporters are responsible for carrying nutrients from the gut into the bloodstream.

Other methods through which BPE and piperine may increase absorption and bioavailability of substances are still being studied today.

The absorption-enhancing effects have been studied in clinical trials with supplements that typically have low bioavailability on their own, such as curcumin (the active constituent in turmeric) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

In one double-blind placebo-controlled study, patients were given 90 mg or 120 mg of CoQ10 and either a placebo or 5 mg of piperine for 14 or 21 days.

Compared to the placebo group, patients in the piperine group had approximately 30% greater blood concentrations of CoQ10 after 21 days. [8]

In another study, patients were first given 2 grams of curcumin alone and had their blood levels measured. Levels of curcumin in the blood were undetectable or very low after this isolated dosage.

On a following day, patients were given 2 g of curcumin, this time together with 20 mg of piperine.

Serum concentrations were much higher after administration of both compounds together. It was estimated that bioavailability of the curcumin increased by 2000%. [9]

More research is still needed to fully determine how black pepper extract increases drug and supplement bioavailability in humans, and to determine which compounds it can affect.

Mechanisms of Action

In addition to increasing the absorption of other drug and supplement ingredients, piperine also exhibits bioactive effects when taken on its own.

Most of the research on these effects has been done with in vitro (cultured cell) and animal-based studies. At this time, clinical research in humans is limited but on-going, with some promising results reported so far.

The NMCD reports that the following effects have been observed in in vitro and/or animal studies: antiseizure, chemoprotective, dermatological, cytochrome P450-inhibiting, anticoagulant, fertility, gastrointestinal, hepatic, hormonal, hypotensive, immune and insecticidal effects. [1]

Additional information on some of its mechanisms of action is reported below.

Analgesic effects

Piperine has demonstrated pain-relieving effects in studies on mice. According to researchers from India, it “was found to possess significant central and peripheral analgesic activity”. [2]

Antiamebic effects

Antiamebic substances are used for treating infections caused by protozoan parasites known as amoebas.

In one study, black pepper extract was shown to cure 90% of rats with an amoebic infection called cecal amoebiasis. [1]

Antiasthma effects

A study in mice suggests that piperine can improve asthma by suppressing inflammatory responses. The researchers found that it might improve asthma by:

• Decreasing hyperresponsiveness in airways
• Inhibiting eosinophil infiltration
• Suppressing production of interleukin 4 and 5
• Suppressing T-cell lymphocyte activity [1]

Antibacterial effects

In vitro studies show that an aqueous black pepper extract had 75% antibacterial activity against bacteria taken from the oral cavity of humans.

It may work by stopping oral bacteria from producing a polysaccharide called glucan which allows the bacteria to adhere to tooth surfaces. [1]

One of the factors that makes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) resistant to traditional antibiotics is a certain efflux mechanism. Some in vitro research suggest that BPE has efflux inhibitory activity against MRSA. [1]

The antibacterial effects of black pepper extract may not extend to all bacteria. Aqueous extracts do not seem to have bactericidal activity against Helicobacter pylori, a type of pathogen that commonly causes digestive tract infections in humans. [1]

Antidepressant effects

BPE has shown antidepressant effects in animal studies. Some of these include:

• Increased proliferation of hippocampus neural progenitor cells
• Protected against chronic unpredictable mild stress
• Protective effects on neuroblastoma cells
• Reduced duration of immobility in forced swimming and tail suspension tests [1]

Antidiabetes effects

High-fat diets fed to mice are known to have negative effects on blood lipids and insulin levels. In one study, black pepper extract was observed to improve levels of plasma insulin to almost normal levels in animals fed a high-fat diet. [1]

Other evidence from animal studies suggests that it can lower blood glucose levels. [1]

In in vitro studies, BPE inhibited the aldose reductase enzyme that helps to activate the polyol pathway which has been implicated in causing complications in diabetes. [1]

Black pepper extract has also been shown to slow down the nonenzymatic glycation of protein, which is associated with diabetic complications like peripheral neuropathy (nerve dysfunction/damage). [1]

Some BPE constituents have shown inhibitory activity against acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase, an enzyme involved in type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. [1]

Antifungal effects

In in vitro research, black pepper extract and essential oil have demonstrated antifungal effects.

The cp2 constituent slowed the growth of Aspergillus parasiticus a mold that produces a potent liver toxin called aflatoxin. [1]

Other in vitro studies show that piperine inhibits cytotoxicity (cell poisoning) and genotoxicity (RNA/DNA mutation) induced by aflatoxin B1.

Conflicting animal research has shown piperine to enhance the bioavailability of aflatoxin B1. More research is needed to determine antifungal effects in animals. [1]

Anti-inflammatory effects

Piperine exhibits anti-inflammatory activities in animal research. These effects are proposed to be due to “chronic granulomatous changes and stimulation of pituitary adrenal axis.” [1]

In vitro studies have shown that BPE can slow down the production of an important inflammatory mediator called prostaglandin E2 (dinoprostone).

It also reduces expression of other inflammatory mediators like matrix metalloproteinase-13 and interleukin-6. [1]

Other in vitro evidence shows that black pepper extract can slow the migration of AP-1 (activator protein 1), and reduce adipose tissue inflammatory responses in macrophages. [1]

Antioxidant effects

Animal research has demonstrated various antioxidant effects including:

• Decreased glutathione reductase activity
• Decreased oxidative stress from a high-fat diet
• Enhanced levels of oxidized glutathione inside the liver
• Maintained levels of important antioxidants like superoxide dismutase and glutathione
• Protected red blood cells from oxidative damage
• Reduced the effects of oxidized glutathione on the brain [1]

However, in some studies, black pepper extract failed to scavenge superoxide free radicals, showing it may not have antioxidant effects in all situations.

Anti-Cancer Effects

In both in vitro and animal studies, black pepper extract has been observed to exhibit anticancer effects.

Animal research demonstrates the following anticancer effects:

• Reduced gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity
• Reduced lung collagen hydroxyproline
• Reduced serum sialic acid
• Reduced tumor growth
• Reduced tumor nodule formation [1]

In in vitro research, BPE was found to inhibit cancer cell proliferation (rapid replication), and induced differentiation (changing cell types from cancerous to normal).

Black Pepper Extract Supplements

The NMCD reports that there are currently over 2700 BPE dietary supplement products available for purchase either as single ingredient formulations or in combination with other supplements.

Whole, crushed and ground peppercorns are available, as well as tablets, capsules, and liquid extracts that contain varying amounts of piperine.

One popular brand name trademarked product is BioPerine which is made by Sabinsa Corporation. Several different products contain BioPerine as their source of piperine.

Black pepper extract is thought enhance the absorption of curcumin, CoQ10, and green tea catechins. This ingredient is also commonly included in weight loss supplement stacks.

Black pepper extract is sometimes sold as a single ingredient product, typically at 10 mg active extract per serving size, standardized to 95% piperine content.

Black Pepper Extract Dosage Guidelines

Black pepper extract dosages are typically based on the concentration of piperine provided per serving size.

For enhancing the absorption of glucuronidated substances (like curcumin), up to 20 mg of piperine per day has been studied. [4]

Most supplements provide 10 mg of piperine daily either as a single ingredient or in combination with other supplements.

Piperine is a potent compound that is thought to affect the metabolism of many different drugs and supplements. Some health professionals recommend that people start with lower daily dosages of between 5-10 mg per day and only increase to higher doses if needed.

It is recommended to speak with your doctor if you are interested in taking a black pepper extract or piperine supplement. Your doctor will be able to recommend the best dosage for your needs.

Black Pepper Extract Side Effects

The Natural Medicine Comprehensive Database has rated black pepper as Likely Safe when used in amounts found in foods. As a culinary ingredient, pepper has received GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) status from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Dietary supplements containing black pepper extract are rated Possibly Safe when used orally in medicinal amounts.

These supplements are generally well tolerated when used appropriately. In some cases, the NMCD states that oral use of black pepper extract can cause dyspepsia (indigestion) and other gastrointestinal side effects. [1]

In human research, repeated doses of piperine have caused rare cases of oral cavity and tongue irritation. This resulted in a temporary inability to taste. [1]

In a clinical trial, intragastric administration of 1.5 grams of black pepper (a large amount by dietary standards) caused mucosal microbleeding and exfoliation of gastric cells. This also caused increased pepsin secretions and loss of potassium. [1]

In one study of 127 participants, a piperine-based nasal spray caused nausea in 9 people. In this same study 8 participants experienced heart palpitations and 17 experienced increased perspiration (sweating). [1]

The nasal spray also caused 82 of the 127 participants to experience dizziness, lightheadedness, calmness, headache, cold hands/feet, increased alertness, and/or feeling of being “high”. [1]

Avoid topical application of black pepper extract to the ocular region. This can cause redness, pain and swelling in and around the eyes. [1]

Black pepper extract is considered generally safe for most people in appropriate dosages. [3] However, it is recommended to check with a doctor to determine whether this product is appropriate for you.

Drug Interactions and Contraindications

Black pepper extract may interact with certain health conditions, medications, herbs, supplements, and laboratory tests. [1, 3]

Black pepper extract is known to interact with antiplatelet/anticoagulant drugs like Lovenox (enoxaparin), Ticlid (ticlopidine), Fragmin (dalteparin), Plavix (clopidogrel), Coumadin (warfarin), and aspirin.

It also may interact with supplements and herbs with anticoagulant/antiplatelet effects such as willow, garlic, ginger, turmeric, danshen, angelica, red clover, ginkgo, and ginseng.

BPE may interact with antidiabetes drugs like Avandia (rosiglitazone ), Actos (pioglitazone), Amaryl (glimepiride), insulin, Micronase/PresTab/DiaBeta/Glynase (glyburide), and others.

It may also interact with supplements and herbs with hypoglycemic (blood glucose-lowering) potential including Siberian ginseng, Panax ginseng, devil’s claw, guar gum, and fenugreek.

Black pepper extract can interact with various Cytochrome P450 substrates, including Cytochrome P450 1A1, 2B1, 2D6, and 3A4 substrates.

Some drugs that are included in these categories include but are not limited to:

• Allegra (fexofenadine)
• Antifungal drugs like ketoconazole and itraconazole
• Barbiturates
• Chemotherapy drugs like etoposide, paclitaxel, vinblastine, vincristine and vindesine
• Calcium channel blockers like diltiazem, nicardipine and verapamil
• Elavil (amitriptyline)
• Haldol (haloperidol)
• Norpramin (desipramine)
• Paxil (paroxetine)
• Prozac (fluoxetine)
• Risperdal (risperidone)
• Tofranil (imipramine)
• Zofran (ondansetron)

There are numerous other drugs, herbs, and supplements that might interact with black pepper extract. It is best to discuss use with your doctor beforehand if you use any type of prescription or natural medicines.

Piperine extracts might interfere with the accuracy of lab tests for measuring blood glucose levels or platelet function.

Using this supplement if you have a bleeding disorder may increase the risk of bruising or bleeding.

Taking this product if you have diabetes could interfere with blood sugar control. Those with diabetes may need dose adjustments in their current medications when using this supplement.

It is recommended to discontinue using BPE at least 2 weeks prior to scheduled surgeries. Failure to do so may cause complications during the procedure including increased bleeding.

It is recommended that you speak with your doctor if you are interested in learning more about black pepper extract supplements. Your doctor will be able to determine the best dosage for your needs, if there may be possible interactions with existing drugs or supplements, and if this supplement is right for your needs.

Rate This Article

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5, rated)