Black Pepper
Summary
Black pepper's main compound, piperine, is mostly used to boost absorption: 20 mg raised blood curcumin about 20-fold in volunteers. Evidence for its own benefits is thin (grade D): adding pepper to turmeric did not lower pain further. Piperine also raises blood levels of drugs such as phenytoin, propranolol and theophylline.
Key facts
- Absorption booster: 20 mg piperine raised curcumin bioavailability by 2,000% in human volunteers[1]
- Raised blood levels of phenytoin, propranolol and theophylline in pharmacokinetic studies; inhibits P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4 in lab tests[4][6][7]
- The McCormick Science Institute, a spice-industry body, funded the turmeric pain trial and pays one author an honorarium[2]
- 2 graded human outcomes on this page
- October 10, 2026
How it works
EstablishedPiperine blocks glucuronidation in the liver and gut wall, and in laboratory tests it inhibited the drug pump P-glycoprotein and the enzyme CYP3A4. Slowing these clearance routes raises blood levels of curcumin and some drugs.[1][7]
What the human research says
Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form column shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.
At a glance: strongest evidence per outcome
| Outcome | Grade | Effect | Strongest evidence | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | Grade D | No effect | Crossover RCT · n = 30 · 2026 | 1 row |
| Cognition | Grade D | Mixed | Crossover RCT · n = 23 · 2014 | 1 row |
Every graded row
| Outcome | Effect | Grade | Best evidence | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain ratings with turmeric with or without black pepper | No effect | Grade D | Crossover RCT · n = 30 · 2026 Adults aged 40 and older with moderate pain (US) Form: Turmeric capsules with or without black pepper · Dose: Turmeric 300 mg, 1 g or 3 g; black pepper amount not stated in the abstract · Duration: 21 days Pain fell from baseline over 3 weeks, but adding black pepper made no significant difference compared with turmeric alone. | 41599836 (opens PubMed)Source [2] |
| Brain blood flow, thinking and mood with resveratrol | Mixed | Grade D | Crossover RCT · n = 23 · 2014 Healthy adults Form: Piperine with trans-resveratrol · Dose: 20 mg piperine with 250 mg resveratrol, single dose · Duration: Single dose per session Piperine plus resveratrol increased frontal brain blood flow during tasks compared with placebo and resveratrol alone; cognitive performance, mood and blood pressure did not change, and resveratrol blood levels were not altered. | 24804871 (opens PubMed)Source [3] |
Forms
| Form | Elemental % | Absorption (human data) | GI tolerance | Studied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piperine extract | Varies[1][3][4][6] | Piperine is the studied compound; no absorption data for piperine itself in our sources.[1] | No adverse effects reported in the abstracts of the 20 mg studies.[1][3][4] | Pharmacokinetic studies and combination trials at 20 mg |
| Ground black pepper (spice) | Varies[2][5] | No absorption data in our sources.[2] | No adverse effects reported in the abstract of the turmeric trial.[2] | Culinary use; turmeric pain trial |
| Curcumin-piperine combinations | Varies[1][8] | Piperine raised curcumin blood levels by 2,000% after a 2 g curcumin dose.[1] | No adverse effects reported in the pooled abstract.[8] | Glucose and metabolic trials of curcumin plus piperine |
Studied doses
Doses studied in human trials ranged from a single 20 mg dose of piperine, given with curcumin, resveratrol or a drug, or to 20 mg daily for 7 days in a drug-interaction study. A 21-day pain trial added black pepper to culinary amounts of turmeric.[1][3][6][2]
Interactions
Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.
Medicines
- PhenytoinPK studyA single 20 mg dose of piperine raised phenytoin peak level and exposure in people with epilepsy, and an earlier study found the same in healthy volunteers.[4][9]
- Propranolol and theophyllinePK studyPiperine 20 mg daily for 7 days raised peak levels and total exposure of both drugs and lengthened theophylline's half-life.[6]
- Drugs moved by P-glycoprotein or broken down by CYP3A4PK studyPiperine inhibited P-glycoprotein transport of digoxin and cyclosporine and CYP3A4 metabolism of verapamil in laboratory tests.[7]
Who should be careful
- People on narrow-margin medicines
- Piperine raised phenytoin, propranolol and theophylline levels, so anyone on drugs where small level changes matter needs medical advice before using piperine supplements.[4][6][9]
- People on many medications
- Laboratory inhibition of P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4 suggests broader interaction potential than the drugs tested so far.[7]
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.
Safety
Black pepper is a common spice; concentrated piperine mainly raises interaction concerns.
- Drug levels
- Piperine increased blood levels of phenytoin, propranolol and theophylline in small studies.[4][6]
- Combination trials
- A pooled analysis of curcumin-piperine trials in prediabetes and diabetes reported numerical but non-significant improvements in glucose measures.[8]
- Long-term data
- No long-term piperine-alone trials are cited here.[5]
How to read the label
- Label dose vs clinical doseAbsorption and interaction studies used 20 mg of piperine per dose.[1][4][6]
- Combination productsPiperine is mostly sold inside turmeric, curcumin or resveratrol products, where it acts as a booster rather than the main ingredient.[1][3]
- Spice vs extractCulinary black pepper is a food; the drug-interaction studies used concentrated piperine.[2][4][6]
Cost per studied dose, without the sales pitch
Compare any product you already have by the amount it delivers, not by capsule count or front-of-pack weight.
Cost per studied dose
Enter the price, servings and the amount per serving from your label.
Frequently asked questions
Does black pepper help turmeric absorb?
Yes, for curcumin blood levels: 20 mg of piperine raised curcumin bioavailability by about 2,000% after a 2 g dose in volunteers.[1]
Does adding black pepper to turmeric reduce pain more?
In a 21-day crossover trial of 30 adults, pain fell with turmeric whether or not black pepper was added, with no difference between them.[2]
Does piperine interact with medications?
Yes. It raised blood levels of phenytoin, propranolol and theophylline, and blocks P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4 in laboratory tests.[4][6][7]
Does piperine boost every supplement?
No. It did not change resveratrol blood levels, although resveratrol with piperine changed brain blood flow.[3]
Sources
- [1]Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers.. Planta Med, 1998. PK-study
- [2]Bioenhancer Assessment of Black Pepper with Turmeric on Self-Reported Pain Ratings in Adults: A Randomized, Cross-Over, Clinical Trial.. Nutrients, 2026. crossover-RCT
- [3]Effects of resveratrol alone or in combination with piperine on cerebral blood flow parameters and cognitive performance in human subjects: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over investigation.. Br J Nutr, 2014. crossover-RCT
- [4]Effect of piperine on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in patients with epilepsy.. Phytother Res, 2006. PK-study
- [5]A systematic review on black pepper (Piper nigrum L.): from folk uses to pharmacological applications.. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2019. systematic-review
- [6]Effect of piperine on bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of propranolol and theophylline in healthy volunteers.. Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 1991. PK-study
- [7]Piperine, a major constituent of black pepper, inhibits human P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4.. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 2002. animal-study
- [8]Effects of Combination of Curcumin and Piperine Supplementation on Glycemic Profile in Patients with Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.. J ASEAN Fed Endocr Soc, 2024. meta-analysis
- [9]The effect of piperine on pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in healthy volunteers.. Planta Med, 1987. PK-study
What changed
- First draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title and year taken from the record) and abstracts read for the cited rows.
- Adversarial review pass: every evidence row re-read against its PubMed abstract. Official sources: no NIH ODS or NCCIH fact sheet covers black pepper or piperine; FDA CFR spice listing could not be opened reliably, so no official monograph is cited. Industry ties: the 2026 turmeric pain trial was funded in part by the McCormick Science Institute, and one author receives its honorarium (coi.py, PMC12844896); the 2024 curcumin-piperine meta-analysis declares no conflicts; funding for the pharmacokinetic studies is not stated in PubMed. Retraction, expression-of-concern, erratum and withdrawn checks on all 9 PMIDs: none flagged. Page set indexable. Independent browser review (4 parallel reviewers, every evidence row checked against its abstract and official sources on the Vercel preview) found: no issues.