Black peppercorns

Black peppercorn for Raynaud's disease

Black peppercorn (Hu Jiao in Chinese), is known as the King of spices in TICM and is categorised under herbs that warm the interior and can expel cold. It enters the Stomach and Large Intestine meridians containing a pungent taste and hot temperature. It has been used for thousands of years in TICM and Ayurveda for the treatment of cold, pain, fever, and even as an antimalarial treatment.

In TICM, the Stomach is the organ responsible for the receiving and ripening of foods and fluids, descending the digested bits downwards to the Small Intestine while the Large Intestine receives the impure parts of the digested food from the Small Intestine, absorbs the remaining fluids and excrete the remainder as faeces.

Main action's are - warms the body's core to dissipate cold, controls the upward flow of vital energy (Qi) and eliminates phlegm.

Treats conditions that stem from internal coldness with vital energy (Qi) and warm energy (Yang deficiency).

Helps the following: circulation, sensitivity to cold, Raynaud's disease, indigestion, sluggish digestion, lack of appetite, muscular aches and pains, sciatica, pain relief, rheumatism, muscle stiffness, arthritic pain relief, rheumatic pain, fatigue, colds, flu, chills and bronchitis.

Tip: when making soup, rice or bone broth, I add whole peppercorns to create a warming essence to the dish. I also add them when making pickled onion, pickled eggs, etc.

You can also crush the whole peppercorns using a motor and pestle to create fresh cracked pepper.