Black Pepper Essential Oil Benefits and Uses in Aromatherapy

Popular uses based on black pepper essential oil benefits include relieving muscle pain, promoting circulation, and energizing both body and mind.

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The aroma of black pepper essential oil (Piper nigrum) is different from the black pepper spice you use on your food and will not irritate your eyes or make you sneeze. Why the difference?

The essential oil does not contain piperine, although some sources state otherwise. (You can verify by looking at a full component list in Essential Oil Safety, 2nd Ed.) Piperine is a major component of the pepper plant and occurs in the spice, but steam distillation removes the piperine. If you want an oil containing piperine, you need a black pepper CO₂ extract, which may have different properties than the essential oil.

Basic Black Pepper Facts

Plant family: Piperaceae.

Production: Steam distilled from dried black berries (peppercorns).

Aroma: Spicy, warm, peppery, woody.

Perfume/Aromatic note: Middle.

Is black pepper safe to use during pregnancy? Some sources say yes, others say no. Consult a professional.
 
Is black pepper essential oil safe for children? Generally, yes, for children age 2+.

Cautions: The essential oil can cause skin sensitization if oxidized.

Main components:

• (+)–limonene        16.4–24.4%
• beta-caryophyllene   9.4–30.9%
• alpha-pinene         1.1–16.2%
• delta-3-carene       trace–15.5%
  

Source: Essential Oil Safety, 2nd Edition, which also states, "Because of the pungency of fresh pepper, it is often incorrectly assumed that the oil must be a strong skin irritant."

Note: Two other essential oils are distilled from the same plant as black pepper: white pepper and green pepper. Black pepper comes from ripe, dried berries; green pepper from  unripe green berries; and white pepper from fully ripe berries with the outside layer removed, leaving only the seed, according to Nature in Bottle. Pink pepper is an entirely different plant.

Black Pepper Essential Oil Benefits

Black pepper oil has affinities for the musculoskeletal, circulatory, digestive, nervous, respiratory, urogenital, and reproductive systems.¹ Emotionally, the aroma is uplifting and stimulating and may act as an aphrodisiac for some people.²

Unless otherwise noted, the following books are the sources for black pepper essential oil benefits:

1. Aromatica: Clinical Guide to Essential Oil Therapeutics, Volume 2
2. Essential Oils & Aromatherapy for Dummies
3. The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
4. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (updated edition):
5. The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness
6. The Aromatherapy Companion (Shutes, 2022)

Contents

• Physical Benefits
• Mental and Emotional Benefits
• Traditional Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic Benefits
• Uses and Blends
• FAQ

See my separate article Black Pepper Essential Oil Spiritual Benefits.

Physical Benefits of Black Pepper Essential Oil

Physically, black pepper oil warms cold conditions and stimulates hypotonic/weak conditions.¹

Musculoskeletal System

Black pepper is one of the most important oils for dealing with musculoskeletal problems,⁵ such as arthritis and rheumatic pain; muscle aches, pains, and stiffness; poor muscle tone; and sprains.

To help relieve these problems, you can use small amounts of black pepper oil in bath and massage blends.

Use this essential oil in a liniment or balm to heat tight muscles and sore joints and improve circulation.² Using a massage oil with black pepper before intense physical activity can reduce strain on muscles by increasing blood flow (by dilating blood vessels and creating localized redness and warmth).⁵

Arthritis Bath Blend

• 3 drops black pepper
• 3 drops sweet marjoram essential oil
• 3 drops lemon essential oil
• 1 drop cypress essential oil
• 1 teaspoon carrier oil or castile soap

Source: Massage & Aromatherapy

Pain Relief Oil

• 2 drops black pepper
• 2 drops eucalyptus globulus essential oil
• 5 drops roman chamomile essential oil
• 2 tablespoons trauma oil

Adapted from Aromasense

Circulatory System

Black pepper reputedly improves poor circulation. Use the oil for cold limbs, chills, and sensitivity to cold.

Circulatory Massage Blends

Massage over legs and arms up to twice a day.

#1

• 2 drops black pepper
• 2 drops cypress essential oil
• 1 drop lemon essential oil
• 1 teaspoon carrier oil

Source: Aromasense

#2

• 4 drops black pepper essential oil
• 6 drops plai essential oil
• 8 drops sweet marjoram essential oil
• 2 tablespoons apricot kernel oil

Source: 150 Ways to Use Essential Oils

Digestive System

Black pepper is beneficial for digestion and may help relieve digestive problems, such as indigestion, slow digestion, lack of appetite, bloating, nausea, constipation, and excess gas and flatulence.

For digestive issues, dilute 2 to 3 drops black pepper in 1 tablespoon carrier oil and massage the blend onto your abdomen. You can also add 2 drops ginger essential oil.

Indigestion Blend

Use this blend to massage your abdomen (clockwise) to relieve indigestion, gas, and bloating and improve peristalsis: 

• 2 drops black pepper
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 drop roman chamomile essential oil
• 1 tablespoon carrier oil

Source: The Healing Art of Essential Oils

Respiratory System

You can use black pepper to help relieve colds, flu, and congestion by making a chest rub.² You can also diffuse a blend of black pepper and cedarwood essential oil.

Use the oil in small amounts (3 drops only) in a bath to increase perspiration and cool and reduce fever during colds and flu.⁵

Nervous System

Black pepper is a general nerve tonic and helps relieve neuralgia. For neuralgia or general nervous or mental weakness, Aromatherapy and the Mind suggests making a massage oil by blending 3 drops each of black pepper, rosemary, and marjoram essential oils in 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil. Give yourself a slow massage.

Stop Smoking Aid

A few small studies have suggested black pepper may help reduce carvings when you want to quit smoking.

Quit Smoking Support Oil

• 10 drops bergamot essential oil
• 8 drops black pepper
• 2 drops rosemary verbenone essential oil
• 2 tablespoons carrier oil

Blend oils in a one-ounce bottle. Apply a few drops to the sinus points around your nose and forehead and also on the back of your neck. Repeat as needed.

Adapted from The Essential Oils Complete Reference Guide

Stop Smoking Cravings Inhaler

Make an aromatherapy inhaler with 2 drops each of black pepper, angelica root, and roman chamomile essential oisl. Inhale as needed. Adapted from NAHA Aromatherapy Journal, Autumn 2019.3, p. 64.

Mental and Emotional Black Pepper Essential Oil Benefits

Psychologically, black pepper promotes courage, self-confidence, grounding, and strength.¹ The oil warms a cold heart and promotes courage and stamina in adversity⁵ and also helps you move through feelings of stagnation or hesitation.

Mentally, the essential oil stimulates the mind to enhance mental clarity and memory, according to The Essential Guide to Aromatherapy and Vibrational Healing. This essential oil also promotes emotional strength when you experience challenges and helps clear negative emotions.

The Fragrant Mind states black pepper promotes alertness, assertiveness, changeability, comfort, endurance, motivation, and stamina. Use the oil to counteract emotional blockages, apathy, anger, compulsions, confusion, disorientation, forgetfulness, frustration, indecision, irrationality, mental exhaustion and fatigue, or emotional coldness.

Black Pepper TCM and Ayurvedic Benefits

Aromatica: A Clinical Guide to Essential Oil Therapeutics, Volume 2, offers the following Traditional Chinese Medicine characteristics:

• Aroma energy: Pungent
• Movement: Rising
• Warmth: Warm to hot
• Meridian tropism: Kidney, Spleen, Stomach, Lung, Bladder
• Five-element affinity: Water, Earth, Metal
• Essential function: To tonify and raise the Yang, warm the interior, and strengthen the Shen

For more details, see pages 127–128.

Black pepper warms the Kidneys and strengthens the Zhi, (the spirit of the Kidneys), which is the willpower we use to persevere, overcome obstacles, and survive ordeals, according to The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Third Edition, Vol. III – Psyche & Subtle. The essential oil eliminates damp (which weakens the Earth element) and gets rid of excess cold (which weakens the Water element.)

Ayurveda and Aromatherapy:

• The rasa (taste) of black pepper is pungent and bitter, the vipaka (aftertaste) is pungent, and the virya (energy) is heating and drying. 
• The oil decreases kapha and increases pitta and vata (in excess). 
• Tissues most affected by the oil are plasma, blood, fat, marrow, nerve, spleen, urinary, and digestive. 
• Indications for this essential oil include chronic indigestion, poor metabolism, sinus congestion, and cold extremities.

Black Pepper Essential Oil Uses and Blends

Here are a few recipes offering black pepper essential oil benefits.

Restore Sexual Energy

Add the following blend to a warm/hot bath. Soak for 20 to 30 minutes.

• 2 drops black pepper essential oil
  
• 3 drops rose essential oil
• 1 tablespoon carrier oil
• 1/2 cup sea salt
  

Adapted from Rocky Mountain Oils

Post-Workout Massage Oil

Use this massage oil after exercise:

• 4 drops black pepper
• 4 drops frankincense essential oil
  
• 2 drops clary sage essential oil
• 1 drop peppermint essential oil
• 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
  

Source: Floracopeia

Memory Sharpener Blend

In a 5-ml glass bottle, combine the following essential oils:

• 30 drops basil essential oil
• 30 drops rosemary essential oil
• 18 drops lemon essential oil
• 18 drops black pepper

Add 15 drops of the blend to an aromatherapy inhaler or 5-10 drops to a diffuser.
Source: 150 Ways to Use Essential Oils from Eden's Garden

Diffuser Blend For Motivation

Use this blend in an essential oil diffuser:

• 2 drops black pepper essential oil
• 2 drops lime essential oil
• 2 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 2 drops frankincense essential oil

Source: Astrological Aromatherapy Guide by Leah Morgan

Black Pepper Essential Oil Benefits FAQ

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