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Black pepper

Piper nigrum

Also known as black pepper, peppercorn, kali mirch

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The dried unripe fruit of the Piper nigrum vine, used whole or ground. The USDA entry is per 100 g of ground pepper, whereas a grind over a plate is a fraction of a gram.

Gut & Digestive HealthWeight ManagementInflammation

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Digestive comfort

Gut & Digestive Health
Limited evidence

Black pepper has a long culinary and traditional use as an appetite stimulant, and small human studies report changes in gastric secretion and transit. Research using symptom outcomes rather than laboratory measures is very sparse.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Piperine is sold as a metabolism-raising ingredient in fat-loss products. Human trials testing piperine on its own for body weight or fat mass are essentially absent, and the products it appears in almost always contain caffeine as well.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Inflammatory markers

Inflammation
Insufficient evidence

Piperine reduces inflammatory signalling in cell and animal models, which is where nearly all of this research sits. Human trials measuring inflammatory markers with black pepper or piperine alone are few and small, so there is not enough evidence to draw a conclusion.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Black pepper

Ask about Black pepper

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories251 kcal13%
Protein10.4 g21%
Total fat3.26 g4%
Carbohydrate64 g23%
Fibre25.3 g90%
Total sugars0.64 g—
Water12.5 g—
Fats
Saturated fat1.39 g7%
Monounsaturated fat0.739 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.998 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)0.152 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.694 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A27 µg3%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E1.04 mg7%
Vitamin K164 µg136%
Thiamin (B1)0.108 mg9%
Riboflavin (B2)0.18 mg14%
Niacin (B3)1.14 mg7%
Pantothenic acid (B5)1.4 mg28%
Vitamin B60.291 mg17%
Folate17 µg4%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline11.3 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium443 mg34%
Iron9.71 mg54%
Magnesium171 mg41%
Phosphorus158 mg13%
Potassium1329 mg28%
Sodium20 mg1%
Zinc1.19 mg11%
Copper1.33 mg148%
Manganese12.8 mg554%
Selenium4.9 µg9%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene310 µg—
Alpha-carotene12 µg—
Lycopene20 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin454 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash4.49 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Spices, pepper, black (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170931).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • groundReduces volatile aroma compounds and piperine

    Piperine degrades on exposure to light and air, and the volatile terpenes that give pepper its aroma are lost quickly once ground. Whole peppercorns ground at use retain more of both.

  • with foodIncreases absorption of curcumin and some other compounds

    Adding black pepper to turmeric raises measured plasma curcumin substantially, by slowing its clearance. The same mechanism is what makes piperine an interaction risk with medicines.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Interaction

    Piperine alters how the body handles many medicines

    Piperine inhibits CYP3A4 and the P-glycoprotein transporter and slows glucuronidation. That is exactly why it is added to supplements to raise absorption of other compounds, and it is also why it can raise blood levels of medicines including some anticonvulsants, immunosuppressants and beta-blockers. Concentrated piperine supplements, not seasoning, are the practical concern.

  • Too much

    Irritation and reflux at high intake

    Large amounts of pepper irritate the gastric mucosa and can worsen reflux and dyspepsia in susceptible people.

  • Worth knowing

    Aspiration risk in children

    Whole peppercorns and inhaled pepper powder are documented causes of choking and airway irritation in small children. Pepper should not be used as a behavioural deterrent, a practice that has caused serious harm.