Black pepper, the so-called king of spices, is the most commonly used spice in the world.

Thanks to Piperine, the compound responsible for black peppers, distinct biting quality,

as well as some of pepper's propitious properties, such as acting as a bio-enhancer,

improving the absorption of other compounds. Dr. Greger has talked about how just a tiny pinch

of black pepper, one-twentieth of a single teaspoon, can boost the bioavailability into the

bloodstream of curcumin, the yellow pigment of the spice turmeric.

Such that adding turmeric to the diet with a pinch of pepper may be more effective in reducing

oxidative stress and inflammation than just turmeric alone. Crack about a quarter teaspoon of black

pepper onto your vegetables and significantly more carotenoid phytonutrients will make it

into your bloodstream than if you ate the same vegetables without it. But one of the ways pepperyn

enhances bioavailability is by inhibiting the detox enzymes in our liver and intestines, thereby suppressing

our body's ability to get rid of foreign substances, even good ones like

curcumin and beta carotene.

Could that be a bad thing for people taking certain drugs?

A systematic review in meta-analysis looked at the effects of typical daily doses of black

pepper on conventional drugs.

And indeed, it increases the bioavailability of a variety of

common ones, including dylan, inderol, and an asthma drug called theophilin. Now, on the one hand,

that may allow us to give smaller doses of the drugs. But on the other hand, inhibiting our natural

drug detox enzymes might cause serious consequences

if it led to drug levels that are too high.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice have similar effects, described as a pharmacologist's nightmare,

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