BLACK PEPPER
One of the most common spices worldwide. Pepper is actually a berry. It comes from the Piper nigrum vine. The “King of the Spices” has been used medicinally for thousands of years. In addition to spicing up your favorite dish, it is noted to have many health benefits. A simple online search revealed over 5 1/2 billion results. Some of the most common benefits listed are:
High in potent antioxidants
Has anti-inflammatory properties
Improve brain function
Improves blood sugar control
lower cholesterol levels
Cancer fighting properties
Aids in reversing anxiety & depression
Increases Immune function
Lowers Blood Pressure
Boosts absorption of nutrients and that is why it is in Mariners Miracle
What if you could increase the absorption of a supplement by 2000%? You wouldn’t have to take as much to get the benefit from it right? It would be that much more effective for your body, right? We agree, all those other benefits are just a bonus because we wanted to increase the effectiveness by increasing the absorption.
I first learned about it because I take Tumeric. It is very similar to Ginger both in benefit and plant family. The bottle listed Piperine which is the black pepper extract. When I researched why, I found a lot of information about absorption levels. And how some supplements without Piperine aren’t worth taking because your body doesn’t absorb hardly any at all. I began to notice many medicines and supplements include Piperine in their ingredients. Technically speaking, black pepper can speed up the absorption of that medication, reducing time it takes to travel through the gastrointestinal tract, preventing the drug from being oxidized or metabolized when it passes through the liver.
Black pepper is grown all around the world. It is the most traded spice and the most common in cultural cuisine on the planet. Aprox 40% of the world’s supply comes from Vietnam. India, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China are all major exporters. Writings as far back as 2000 BC hail the many virtues of black pepper. When traded from India it was so valuable that in 410 AD, Rome offered 3000 pounds of Black peppercorns to the Visigoths in hopes of avoiding their siege. There you go, your history lesson for the day.
For such a tiny package, they are loaded with goodness. Each little peppercorn includes, Dietary Fiber, Choline, Folic Acid, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Zinc, Carotene, Crypto-xanthin, Lutein-zeaxanthin, Lycopene.