Uses of Piperine
Since piperine is found in pepper many will assume that its only real purpose is for the season of food. However, piperine is has found many different ways to influence our lives. From insecticides to alcohol, to medicine piperine improves our daily lives.
Pepper was first used in the middle ages to season everyday foods. Since almost all food back then had undergone a drying process, it was left with a very dull to unsightly taste. However, it was not the pepper itself but the spicy compound of piperine that added the flavor and the zing that made the food edible once again. Piperine however, does not only add a pinch of flavor to food but to alcohol as well. Brandy is known for having a bit of a pinch in it. That pinch is also called piperine.
Many may notice that typical southern food tends to be spicier. You may think it's a cultural thing but its scientific as well. The piperine in that spicy food has a habit of stimulating perspiration, which in effect causes a cooling of the body. Thus very helpful in the south where summer temperatures can reach into the 100's.
While piperine may sound like a pleasant spice, it can also be a deadly killer. Piperine can be found in most insecticides, particularly those that killed the common housefly.
But perhaps piperine's most important use is in the medical field. For thousand of years people have been using piperine to cure many small medical ailment. And in recent years its ever become a very popular assistant to the medications that save thousands of lives each year.
How Pepper is used around the world:
| Country | Use |
| Mexico |
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| Morocco |
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| Indonesia |
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Resent medical studies have shown piperine to be very helpful in increasing the absorption of certain vitamins such as Selenium, Vitamin B and Beta-Carotene. Piperine apparently has the ability to increase the body's natural thermogenic activities. Thermogenesis is the process of generating energy in the cell. Piperine increases thermogenesis and in turn creates a demand for nutrients necessary for metabolism. This so far has been particularly helpful for patients who are sick or aged with defective intestinal lining.
