INTRODUCTION

Black pepper and white pepper are made from the Piper nigrum plant. Black pepper is ground from dried, whole unripe fruit. White pepper is ground from dried, ripe fruit that has had the outer layer removed. The black pepper and white pepper powder are used to make medicine.

People take black pepper for stomach upset, bronchitis, and cancer. They take white pepper for stomach upset, malaria, cholera, and cancer.

Black pepper is sometimes applied directly to the skin for treating nerve pain(neuralgia) and a skin disease called scabies. Black pepper and white pepper are also used topically as a counterirritant for pain.

USES

Black and white pepper might help fight germs (microbes) and cause the stomach to increase the flow of digestive juices. There is conflicting evidence about their role incancer. Some evidence suggests pepper might protect against colon cancer, but other evidence suggests it might promote liver cancer.