Warming digestive tonic that helps ease tension and anxiety
The Origins Of Black Pepper Essential Oil
A perennial, woody vine which has vine shaped leaves and wonderful white flowers which turn into berries (peppercorns).
Extraction
Just before the berries turn into peppercorns (nearly ripe), the berries are crushed and the essential oil is extracted by steam distillation.
INCI
Piper nigrum (Black Pepper) Fruit Oil
Aromatherapy Uses
Black Pepper Essential Oil has traditionally been used as a digestive tonic in aromatherapy. It is used to warm muscles in massage and help with detoxifying.
Skin Uses
Black Pepper should be used with caution on the skin as it can easily be irritating if the dose is too high. However when used with caution, Black Pepper is traditionally known for its antiviral properties, helping to cleanse the skin.
Black Pepper is high in antioxidants and it's warming actions helps stimulate blood flow, thus it's inclusion in anti aging products is warranted.
Hair Uses
Black Pepper warms and stimulates the scalp. The antiviral properties can help with scalp conditions.
Therapeutic Properties
Black Pepper Essential oil is used to warm muscles and hence can be found in many muscle blends. It eases feelings of anxiety and thus is useful with muscle tension.
When used in massage, Black Pepper can be a digestive tonic.
Black Pepper Blends well with
Black Pepper blends well with other spicy oils, blend carefully so as not to over power. Oils which work well with Black Pepper are Basil, Bergamot, Cypress, Frankincense, Geranium, Grapefruit, Lemon, Palmarosa, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang
Precautions
Usually stimulating but has a stupefying effect when used in excess.
An emmenagogue so best to avoid Basil Essential Oil in pregnancy (at naturallythinking we have a policy of avoiding all essential oils during pregnancy).
Basil can also irritate people with very sensitive skin, therefore caution should be taken with dosage levels
Understanding Oil Extraction Methods
What is Steam Distillation?
Steam Distillation is the most popular method of distillation of Essential oil. High pressure hot steam is passed through the plant material. The volatile compounds of the plant material are transferred to the steam and pass through a coil where they are cooled.
On cooling, the oil being lighter than water will separate from the water where it is possible to syphon off.
The remaining water becomes the floral water / hydrolat of the plant material.
What is Expression?
This is just like the process of peeling a citrus fruit. Effectively it is the cold processing of the fruit to extract the essential oil.
Primarily this technique is used on Citrus Essential Oils where the heat of steam would destroy the scent and properties.
Mechanical pressure is applied to the fruit and the resulting oil is the essential oi.
What is an Absolute?
Absolutes require solvent extraction in order to extract them.
Some plants are very difficult to extract the essential oil, either to produce a quality product or to obtain a yield which is economical. Examples of oils which are normally obtained by Solvent extraction are Vanilla, Jasmine and Rose.
Normally Organic ethanol is used to steep the flowers and then evaporated to leave just the concentrated absolute of the plant.
Important Information
Naturallythinking Essential oils are for external use only. We do not sell aromatherapy oils / products for internal use. The information contained on these pages is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Aromatherapy should not be used by those who are pregnant or under the supervision of a medical practitioner / doctor without consultation with the medical practitioner / doctor. If you have a medical condition or any worries, always consult with a doctor / medical practitioner first.