Peppercorns, White, Whole (Organic)

Bulk Herbs: White Peppercorns, Whole (Organic)
Piper nigrum

Format: Whole Peppercorns
Size: 1 oz package

Also Known as: Piper nigrum, black pepper, Blanc Poivre, Kosho, Krishna, Maricha, Pepe, Pepper, Pepper Extract, Pepper Plant, Peppercorn, Pfeffer, Pimenta, Pimienta, Piper, Piperine, Poivre, Poivre Noir, Vellaja, White Pepper

Farming Type: Organic
Origin: Sri-Lanka

Peppercorns are the fruit of Piper nigrum, an evergreen climbing vine. Black, white, and green peppercorns are all from the same plant, but they are harvested at different times and handled differently. To make black pepper, the clusters are plucked when they are not quite ripe. They are then left in piles to ferment. After a few days, the berries are spread out on a mat and left to dry in the sun for two or three more days until they are shriveled and nearly black. Black pepper has been cultivated for thousands of years on the Malabar coast of southwestern India, in the region defined by the modern state of Kerala. For much of the last two thousand years, black pepper was a luxury for the very rich, a commodity so valuable that it was even used as money. Nowadays, black pepper is widely used around the world and in the cuisines of almost every nation.

White pepper contains slightly less essential oil than black pepper. The aroma of both black and white pepper is due to the 80% content of monoterpenes: sabinene, beta-pinene, limonene, furthermore, terpinene, alpha-pinene, myrcene, delta-3-carene, and monoterpene derivatives (borneol, carvone, carvacrol, 1,8-cineol, linalool). Sesquiterpenes make up about 20% of the essential oil: beta-caryophyllene, humulene, beta-bisabolone, and caryophyllene ketone.

The black pepper many of us use every day to season food has a wide variety of medicinal applications. White pepper has similar but milder effects. Ground black pepper (although not peppercorns) can keep food fresh. In 1998, the Quarterly Review of Biology reported that ground black pepper killed about 25% of the bacteria that could cause food spoilage. When combined with garlic, allspice, onion, or oregano, black pepper could kill almost all the bacteria that cause food to spoil.

Note: Avoid excessive use of pepper (more than 1 teaspoon per day) if you take prescription digoxin (Lanoxin) or phenytoin (Dilantin). Too much pepper may slow the rate at which the liver clears these medications from the bloodstream.

Pepper has strong protective qualities in Magic. It can be added to amulets to ward off the evil eye, and it can also be used in a personal amulet to free your thoughts from pettiness and envy. When ground down with salt and spread across the property, it keeps away evil.

Keywords: Protection

For educational purposes only. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated this information. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.