Piper nigrum (Black Pepper) and its Medicinal Properties

Piper nigrum has various biological properties such as anti-depressant, anti-tumor, anti-fungal, anti-thyroid, anti-colon toxin, etc. The pepper is commonly used in the treatment of cold, cough, throat infection, etc. There are number of chemical compounds present in pepper like piperine which is the active component that gives the pungent and spicy flavor. This review focuses on the activities like antimicrobial, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, Digestive, Insecticidal and other pharmacological activity of the black pepper. The anti-microbial property inhibits the growth of gram-positive and gram-negative strains and holds the anti-fungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus niger and candida spp. The anti-cancer activity reveals the inhibition of tumour formation by activating the caspase-3 and cleaving PARP-1 protein. In anti-oxidant activity, piperine prevents oxidative damage by inhibiting free radicals and hydroxyl radicals and reactive oxygen species. Piperine inhibits the important proinflammatory mediators which demonstrates the anti-inflammatory activity and it also acts as an insecticide. Digestive activity shows that the piperine elevates the production and activation of salivary amylase and stimulates sliver to produce bile acids for digestion and absorption of fats.