bioperine - Information and Medicinal uses of this herb

Information and Medicinal uses of this herb

Bioperine is a standardized piperine extract obtained from the fruits of the piper nigrum L . (black pepper) and/or piper longum L. (long pepper) plants that are cultivated in the damp, nutrient-rich soil regions of south India. The delicate pepper berries are hand harvested just prior to ripening and then sun dried to assure optimum maturity and quality.

The extract of piperine, developed by Sabinsa Corporation in its patented form of Bioperine , has been clinically tested in the United States and shown to significantly enhance the bioavailability of supplemented nutrients through increased absorption.

Bioperine exemplifies a nutraceutical which is not only an important part of human and animal nutrition, but also has become increasingly attractive to modern pharmacologists.

This is one ingredient that has been specifically designed to change the way your body looks at supplements. Just look for the Bioperine name or logo on labels of nutritional supplements sold at fine health food stores. Get more from your supplements. Get more for your body.

Bioperine Information

Bioperine is a patented extract of piper nigrum L. (black pepper) and/or piper longum L. (long pepper) berries cultivated in India.

Bioperine appears to enhance the bioavailibility of certain supplements through enhanced absorption - ie making it easier for the body to absorb the needed vitamins, minerals, or other substances that it needs. It might be called a form of a supplement apsorption catalyst. For exactly this reason, bioperine is a thermogenic enhancer, enabling thermogenic substances to do their job more efficiently and quickly, and is thus found in a number of thermogenic weight-loss drugs.

How Does Bioperine Work

Nonspecific Bioperine mechanisms promoting rapid absorption of nutrients

Increases blood supply to the GI tract
Increases emulsifying content of the gut
Increases active nutrient transport

piper nigrum

Black pepper Bioperine, rightly called the 'King of Spices', is one of the oldest and best-known spices in the world. It was mentioned in Chinese and Sanskrit texts a few thousand years ago. India has always reigned supreme in the production and export of this most exotic and sought-after spice. The finest quality black pepper is grown in the monsoon forests along the Malabar coast in South India. Here, a combination of natural advantages and organic techniques produces bigger, better-shaped, more aromatic and flavourful berries. It is commercially grown in China, East and West Indies, Malay peninsula, Malay Archipelago and Thailand.

Black pepper is a tropical climbing shrub. The fruit when ripe is red. It is gathered before it is fully ripe and spread on mats in the sun, when it loses its red colour and becomes black and shrivelled. White pepper is the same fruit, freed from its outer skin by maceration in water and subsequent rubbing. (peppercorns have been used as a non-lethal but painful replacement for lead pellets in shotgun shells).

It is known only as a humble condiment in most of the Western world, but in Asia, it is considered to be the foremost detoxifier and anti-ageing herb. This herb increases circulation, and lowers blood pressure and contains compounds that prevent osteoporosis. One of the earliest spices known, black pepper is probably the most widely used spice in the world today. Indian black pepper had a profound influence on the European economy of the Middle Ages. Many western countries owed their early prosperity to this spice which fetched them a very high price. The term "peppercorn rent" tells us that this old and revered stalwart of the spice trade often changed hands instead of money.

produced by steam distillation, from the black peppercorns, the essential oil is water-white to pale olive in colour with a warm, spicy (peppery), fresh aroma. It has a middle note and blends well with rose, rosemary, marjoram, frankincense, olibanum, sandalwood, and lavender, however it should only be used in small amounts.

In Aromatherapy, it is used to clear the head, improve memory, raise spirits, help to clear emotional blockages and get rid of emotional coldness, apathy and mental exhaustion. It is recommended for greater endurance, and for combating compulsions. With it's pungent aroma it stimulates and tones. A warming oil during the cold winter season. It is ideal for massaging on abdomen and muscles and is often used in pre-sports or dance rub to help maintain suppleness.

Black pepper is a stimulating, energizing essential oil that has been studied for its effects on cellular oxygenation. It has been used for soothing deep tissue muscle aches and pains. When diluted in a carrier oil, black pepper has been used for chilblains, arthritis, muscular aches and pains, neuralgia, poor circulation, poor muscle tone, rheumatic pain, sprains, and stiffness. Vaporized, it may aid in fighting colds, flu, coughing, infections and viruses, catarrh and chills. Interesting effects happen when it is used in perfume blends e.g. black pepper and ylang-ylang combined create the aroma of carnation. Associated with courage, black pepper is an acknowledged aphrodisiac.

It's actions are: analgesic, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, aperitif, aphrodisiac, bactericidal, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, laxative, rubefacient, stimulant, stomachic, tonic.

Black pepper is used in certain tonic and rubefacient preparations, some oriental and floral fragrances, the food industry, and in liqueurs & beverages. Taken internally, it has been used for anemia, colic, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, heartburn, indigestion, loss of appetite, and nausea. As an anti-toxic agent it is used in certain types of food poisoning.

Bioperine Clinical Trials and Studies

Nutrition Research (1999) 19(3) 381-388

pIpERINE, AN ALKALOID DERIVED FROM BLACK pEppER, INCREASES SERUM RESpONSE OF BETA-CAROTENE DURING 14-DAYS OF ORAL BETA-CAROTENE SUppLEMENTATION

Vladimir Badmaev, M.D., ph.D., Muhammed Majeed, ph.D. and Edward p. Norkus ph.D.

Abstract

The effectiveness of an extract from the fruit of black pepper, consisting of a minimum of 98% pure alkaloid piperine was evaluated for its ability to improve serum response of beta-carotene during oral supplementation using a double-blind, crossover study design. Subjects were randomly selected to ingest a daily beta-carotene dose (15 mg) either with 5 mg of piperine or placebo during each of two 14-day supplementation periods. Inter-subject variability in pre-supplementation serum beta-carotene levels was minimized by limiting the selection of volunteers to healthy adult males with fasting serum beta-carotene values < 20 mcg/dL. The results indicate that significantly greater increases (p < 0.0001) in serum beta-carotene occurred during supplementation with beta carotene plus piperine (49.89.6 mcg/dL vs. 30.95.4 mcg/dL) compared to beta-carotene plus placebo. Supplementation with beta-carotene plus piperine for 14 days produced a 60% greater increase in area under the serum beta- carotene curve (AUC) than was observed during supplementation with beta-carotene plus placebo. We suggest that the serum response during oral beta-carotene supplementation is improved through non-specific, thermogenic property(s) of piperine described in this paper as thermonutrient action.

J. Nutr. Biochem. (2000) 11: 109-113

pIpERINE DERIVED FROM BLACK pEppER INCREASES THE pLASMA LEVELS OF COENZYME Q10 FolLOWING ORAL SUppLEMENTATION

Vladimir Badmaev, M.D., ph.D., Muhammed Majeed, ph.D., and Lakshmi prakash, ph.D.

Abstract

An extract from the fruits of black pepper consisting of a minimum of 98% pure piperine was evaluated in a clinical study using a double-blind design. The relative bioavailability of 90 mg and 120 mg of coenzyme Q10 administered in a single dose experiment or in separate experiments for 14 and 21 days with placebo or with 5 mg of piperine was determined by comparing measured changes in plasma concentration. The inter-subject variability was minimized by limiting the selection of individuals to healthy adult male volunteers with (pre-supplementation) fasting coenzyme Q10 values between 0.30 and 0.60 mg/L. The results of a single dose study and the 14-day study indicate smaller, but not significant, increases in plasma concentrations of coenzyme Q10 in the control group compared to the group receiving coenzyme Q10 with a supplement of piperine. Supplementation of 120 mg of coenzyme Q10 with piperine for 21 days produced a statistically significant (p=0.0348), approximately 30% greater, area under the plasma curve (AUC) than observed during supplementation with coenzyme Q10 plus placebo. It is postulated that the bioenhancing mechanism of piperine to increase plasma levels of supplemental coenzyme Q10 is nonspecific and possibly based on its description in the literature as a thermonutrient.