Pepper, a spice with many surprising uses

Pepper is a familiar spice to Vietnamese people. This spice is often added to dishes, helping to create a fragrant flavor for food.

Pepper has many health benefits - Illustration: TAN LUC

Not just a spice, pepper also contains many surprising health benefits that many people do not know about.

Effects of pepper

According to the document "Medicinal Plants, Prescriptions and Special Drugs" by pharmacists Pham Thiep - Le Van Thuan - Bui Van Chuong, pepper has the scientific name Piper nigrum L., is a climbing plant grown in many places.

According to Oriental medicine, pepper has a spicy, hot taste, and affects the stomach and large intestine meridians. Pepper has the effect of eliminating cold, reducing pain, aiding digestion, and preventing vomiting; and treating abdominal pain caused by cold, vomiting, and indigestion.

Pepper is often used to stimulate the taste buds and help increase appetite.

Physician Bui Dac Sang, Hanoi Oriental Medicine Association, added that pepper has the effect of increasing gastric juice, pancreatic juice, and stimulating digestion.

In addition, pepper also has antiseptic and antiparasitic properties. The smell of pepper repels insects, so pepper is used to protect woolen clothes from moth bites.

According to Mr. Sang, black pepper contains piperine, an active ingredient that helps prevent cancer. Piperine has also been shown to prevent obesity and diabetes. Black pepper can also help control blood pressure and burn excess fat.

Researchers found that piperine supplementation not only significantly reduced body weight, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol, but also increased HDL cholesterol levels. Therefore, people can regularly add pepper to their dishes.

Black pepper has been shown to have powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties that promote digestive health. These beneficial antioxidants may help stabilize blood sugar.

Some remedies from pepper

In folk medicine, pepper is also used as a medicine to stimulate digestion, relieve pain (toothache), stomachache, use 1-3g per day in powder or pill form.

- Treat stomachache due to cold, indigestion : 2-4g pepper, decoct to drink or grind into powder, make into pills to drink.

- Cure stomachache due to cold: 5g pepper powder, 50-60g rice. Cook into porridge, when done, sprinkle pepper powder on and eat while the porridge is still warm.

- Cure constipation, abdominal pain and bloating : Crush 21 peppercorns, 200ml water, boil until 100ml remains, remove residue and add 20g pepper. Boil and drink.

- Toothache treatment : Take equal amounts of pepper and allspice, crush, mix with beeswax, make into small pills. Use 1 pill each time, crush and insert into the painful tooth area.

Experts note that using pepper in large doses can irritate the stomach lining, causing congestion and local inflammation.

"To ensure safety, people need to consult medical experts before using pepper as medicine," Mr. Sang emphasized.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hat-tieu-loai-gia-vi-co-nhieu-cong-dung-bat-ngo-20241116142604743.htm