Black Pepper Extract (BioPerine)

What is black pepper extract?

Black pepper extract comes from the dried fruit of Piper nigrum, the same plant that gives us table pepper. Its main active compound is piperine, which gives pepper its bite. Supplement extracts are usually standardized to about 95% piperine. BioPerine is a widely used branded version.

What the research says

Piperine is added to supplements mainly as an absorption enhancer rather than for its own effects. It can slow certain liver and gut enzymes that break down compounds, and it can affect transporters that move substances in and out of cells. The best-known study tested piperine with curcumin from turmeric. In healthy volunteers, 20 mg of piperine taken with 2 g of curcumin raised curcumin’s bioavailability about 2,000% compared with curcumin alone (Shoba et al., Planta Med).

That finding is specific to curcumin, which is very poorly absorbed on its own. For most other ingredients, including those in joint formulas such as hyaluronic acid, boswellia and pine bark extract, there is little or no human research showing piperine improves their absorption or effects. Its role in combination products is therefore mostly theoretical.

The same enzyme effects raise safety questions. Reviews note that piperine can change how the body handles a range of prescription drugs, and that the clinical significance depends on the dose and how long it is taken (Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol, 2018).

Piperine has also been studied for effects of its own, including in the brain, but a review of that research notes that clinical evidence is barely available and that most findings come from animal studies (Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol, 2019). In a joint formula, it should be seen as a helper ingredient, not an active one.

How it’s used in supplements

Piperine is usually included at about 5 to 20 mg per daily serving, most often in turmeric and curcumin products but also in joint, weight and multi-ingredient formulas. At these doses it is generally well tolerated, though it may cause heartburn or stomach upset in some people.

The main caution is drug interactions. Because piperine may raise or lower blood levels of medicines, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using it if you take blood thinners, anti-seizure drugs, diabetes medicines, heart medicines or any drug with a narrow safety margin. Amounts used in cooking are considered safe, but concentrated extracts have not been well studied in pregnancy or breastfeeding.