BLACK PEPPERÂ (Peppercorn) Piper nigrum 
 It is a strong and sharp spicy smelling oil and is faintly reminiscent of clove oil, yet more refined. It can range in colour from light amber to yellow-green and has a watery viscosity. One of the oldest known spices, Black Pepper is useful in massage to relax tired muscles, it is a penetrating oil and has a warm, stimulating effect.
This warm and spicy essential oil helps to increase warmth of the body and mind, relieving sore muscles and joints, boost the immune and digestive system, stimulate the kidneys and disperse bruising by increasing circulation to the skin.
Furthermore it increases the flow of saliva, stimulates appetite, encourages peristalsis, tones the colon muscles and is a general digestive tonic.
Black pepper oil can be used to help in the treatment of pain relief, rheumatism, chills, flu, colds, physical and emotional coldness, nerve tonic and fevers
Black Pepper blends well with
Although essential oils blend and mix well aroma wise with one another, Black Pepper oil does go very well with other essential oils such as Bergamot, Clary Sage, Clove, Corriander, Fennel, Frankinsence, Geranium, Ginger, Grapefruit, Small amounts of Jasmine, Juniper Berry, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Manarin, Sage, Sandalwood, and Ylang Ylang.
Therapeutic Properties
The therapeutic properties of black pepper oil include analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, febrifuge, laxative, rubefacient and tonic (especially of the spleen).
Therapeutic properties explained
Extraction
Our Black Pepper Essential Oil comes from India. The unripe, sun-dried peppercorns (fruit) are used for the extraction of the oil, using steam distillation which produces a yield of nearly 2%.
Prior to distillation the berries are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying.
The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding the work of browning enzymes during drying. The berries are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn
Chemical composition
The essential oil is composed of various chemical constituents and includes the following; a-thujone, a-pinene, camphene, sabinene, b-pinene, a-phellandrene, myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene, b-farnesene, b-bisabolene, linalool and terpinen-4-ol.
Precautions
Black pepper oil may cause irritation to sensitive skins and using too much could over-stimulate the kidneys. It should be avoided in pregnancy due to its possible skin sensitizing effect.