Black pepper has many health benefits that we aren’t aware of. You! takes a look...
health
Black pepper has many health benefits that we aren’t aware of. You! takes a look...
By G. N.
Since ancient times, black pepper has been one of the most widely traded spices in the world and is available throughout the year. Black pepper powder is not only used in food for flavour and spice but is also used to preserve food due to its anti-bacterial properties. It is a rich source of manganese, iron, potassium, vitamin-C, vitamin K, and dietary fibre. Black pepper is also a very good anti-inflammatory agent and has numerous health benefits. Black pepper helps in transporting the benefits of other herbs to different parts of body, maximizing the efficiency of the other health foods that we consume. That is why adding it to foods not only makes them taste delicious, but also helps make those nutrients more available and accessible to our system.
Read on to find out about the benefits of this famous spice.
Helps in weight loss:
The outer layer of peppercorn assists in the breakdown of fat cells. Therefore, peppery foods are a good way to help you shed weight naturally. When fat cells are broken down into their component parts, they are easily processed by the body and applied to other, healthier processes and enzymatic reactions, rather than simply sitting on your body and making you look overweight.
Sharpens the mind:
Piperine, one of the key components of black pepper, has been shown in numerous studies to reduce memory impairment and cognitive malfunction. Chemical pathways in the brain appear to be stimulated by this organic compound, so early research demonstrates the possibility for pepper to benefit Alzheimer’s patients and those that are suffering from dementia and other age-related or free radical-related malfunctions in cognition.
Good for skin:
Pepper helps to cure Vitiligo, which is a skin disease that causes some areas of skin to lose its normal pigmentation and turn white. According to researchers in London, the piperine content of pepper can stimulate the skin to produce pigment. Topical treatment of piperine combined with ultra violet light therapy is much better than the other harsher, more chemically-based treatments for vitiligo. It also reduces the chances of skin cancer due to excessive ultraviolet radiation.
Respiratory relief:
In Ayurvedic practices, pepper is added to tonics for colds and coughs. Pepper also provides relief from sinusitis and nasal congestion. It has an expectorant property that helps to break up the mucus and phlegm depositions in the respiratory tract, and its natural irritant quality helps you to expel these loosened material through the act of sneezing or coughing, which eliminates the material from the body and helps you to heal from whatever infection or illness that caused the deposition in the first place.
Antibacterial quality:
The antibacterial property of black pepper helps to fight against infections and insect bites. Pepper added to the diet helps to keep your arteries clean and scraping excess cholesterol from the walls, thereby helping to reduce atherosclerosis, the condition highly responsible for heart attacks and strokes.
Antioxidant potential:
An antioxidant like pepper can prevent or repair the damage caused by the free radicals and thus help to prevent cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver problems. Free radicals are the byproducts of cellular metabolism that attack healthy cells and cause their DNA to mutate into cancerous cells. Antioxidants like black pepper neutralize these harmful compounds and protect your system from many conditions, even premature ageing symptoms like wrinkles, age spots, macular degeneration, and memory loss.
A number of studies have shown that black pepper may have beneficial effects on gastric mucosal damage and peptic ulcers, due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Helps in digestion:
Pepper increases the hydrochloric acid secretion in the stomach, thereby facilitating digestion. Pepper also helps to prevent the formation of intestinal gas, and when added to a person’s diet, it can promote sweating and urination. Sweating removes toxins and cleans out the pores, and it can also remove excess water or accumulation, also known as oedema. Urination on the other hand, removes uric acid, urea, excess water, and fat, since 4 per cent of urine is made of fat. Its ability to expel gas is because black pepper is a carminative, which forces gas out of the body in a healthy, downward motion, rather than pressing upwards in a dangerous way and straining the upper chest cavity and vital organs.
A word of warning:
Pepper may cause sneezing. Patients who have undergone abdominal surgery should not add excessive pepper to their diet because it can have an irritating effect on the intestines. Black pepper should not be taken in high concentrations, and if you show signs of an allergic reaction, discontinue its use and consult a doctor!
