Where do we see piperine on a daily basis?
Piperine is the active ingrediant in black pepper, white pepper, piper longum, piper officinarum, and west african pepper. It occurs at a rate of 5-9% in black pepper. As the active ingredient, piperine is what makes pepper spicy by activating heat and acid sensing nerve cells in the body, mostly on the tongue. Also used or found in traditional medicine, insectisides, and in human enzymes important to metabolism that transport xenobiotics and metabolites. In february 2008 it was discovered that piperine can stimulate pigmentation in the skin with exposure to UVB light. It has also shown anti-depression activity and cognitive enhancing ability on rats, but has not been tested on humans.