How Can Black Pepper Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

Pungent quality stimulates the heart. Black pepper improves circulation via vasodilation. It destroys mucous in the digestive track and sinuses. Black pepper is a carminative (expels gas) for cold Vata digestion. It is one of the three main ingredients in the popular ayurvedic formula trikatu.

ABOUT BLACK PEPPER

The word 'pepper' is dervied from the South Asian word 'pippali'. Pippali (long pepper) is a famous herb in Ayurveda for lung and heart conditions, and is a close relative of black pepper. The word pepper gradually came to include the unrelated New World Peppers (bell peppers, chilis, etc). The word 'pep' is derived from the energizing, spirited qualities of black pepper. Black pepper is native to Southeast Asia. Black pepper was a highly prized commodity in the West, and referred to as black gold.

BUYING & PREPARATION

White pepper is black pepper with the outer skin removed. Green pepper is black pepper before the drying process. It is used in Thai cuisine. Buy whole black peppercorns. Grind whole black peppercorns yourself for maximum freshness and effectiveness. The medicinal effect of spices usually comes from essential oils which evaporate quickly after grinding. Browse Recipes

COOKING BLACK PEPPER

Grind coarsley for a rough, rustic and crunchy effect. Finely grind for more inherent heat.

WHY SHOULD YOU EAT AYURVEDICALLY?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Foods that supplement your specific body type’s needs and digest easily create your menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

LEARN MORE

Is Black Pepper Good for Me?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Black Pepper is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES

INCREASES Increases These Qualities (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main states (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which states are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every state has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite state. Learn More	LIGHT ABOUT LIGHT GUNA Lightness is identified by reduced weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT HOT ABOUT HOT GUNA Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation. LEARN MORE ABOUT HOT EASY ABOUT EASY GUNA Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly. LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY CLEAR ABOUT CLEAR GUNA Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama. LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	PUNGENT ABOUT PUNGENT GUNA Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper. LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT Rajasic RAJASIC Rajasic foods stimulate desire or nervous energy. Red meat, high protein food, garlic and onions stimulate desire. Rajasic foods include chili peppers, coffee, and anything that stimulates movement. LEARN MORE ABOUT RAJASIC , Alkalizing ALKALIZING An herb or food that makes the urine more alkaline (higher pH). This herbal action can be helpful for a number of inflammatory conditions. LEARN MORE ABOUT ALKALIZING TYPE Spices ELEMENT Air AIR Resembles air (vayu) in quality - highly mobile, drying, light, cold, subtle, rough. LEARN MORE ABOUT AIR , Fire FIRE Resembles fire (tejas) in quality - hot, sharp, penetrating, light, dry. LEARN MORE ABOUT FIRE MOVES ENERGY Outward OUTWARD Outward-moving substances stimulate circulation, push heat towards the skin, or are stimulating. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUTWARD

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Digestion	Digestive DIGESTIVE Herbs that encourage healthy digestive. LEARN MORE ABOUT DIGESTIVE , Spleen Tonic SPLEEN-TONIC An herb that strengthens spleen function by improving strength of the blood. Spleen tonics Builds agni, brighten the person's appearances & firms up tissues. LEARN MORE ABOUT SPLEEN-TONIC
Cleanse and Detox	Burns Toxins BURNS-TOXINS An herb that detoxifies by helping your body metabolize toxins, as opposed to eliminating them. LEARN MORE ABOUT BURNS-TOXINS , Detoxicant DETOXICANT An herb that eliminates or metabolizes toxins from the body. LEARN MORE ABOUT DETOXICANT
Heart & Circulation	Cardiac stimulant CARDIAC-STIMULANT Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area. LEARN MORE ABOUT CARDIAC-STIMULANT , Blood Tonic BLOOD-TONIC An herb that produces more blood cells in the body or otherwise strengthens blood. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency. LEARN MORE ABOUT BLOOD-TONIC , Vasodilator VASODILATOR A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area. LEARN MORE ABOUT VASODILATOR
Lung and Sinus	Decongestant DECONGESTANT An herb that reduces mucus congestion in the sinus or lungs by restricting blood flow to mucus membranes. LEARN MORE ABOUT DECONGESTANT
Skin Care & Beauty	Diaphoretic DIAPHORETIC An herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin. LEARN MORE ABOUT DIAPHORETIC , Rubefacient RUBEFACIENT An herb used topically that causes dilation of the capillaries and an increase in blood circulation. The skin will appear red or flushed. LEARN MORE ABOUT RUBEFACIENT