Bioperine is obtained from the fruit of Piper nigrum L (black pepper) or Piper longum L (long pepper) of which it is a patented standardized extract. These peppers contain the alkaloid piperine, and the extract contains 95% piperine. The plants are grown in the ideal damp soil in regions of Southern India where the earth is rich in nutrients. The barriers are harvested just before ripening, and then dried in the hot sun before the extraction process is started. Piperine has many uses from flavoring to fly killer, but people have been using it for centuries to heal wounds though this is apparently unconnected with the use to which the extract is put.



It has recently been found to help increase the absorption of a number of discount vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin B, beta-carotene, and selenium, by increasing the thermogenic activity of the body. Thermogenesis is one of the metabolic processes of the body that takes place within our cells whereby glucose is converted to energy, but at an accelerated metabolic rate. It is the rise in the metabolic rate that is referred to as thermogenesis.

When you eat food, or take supplements, the metabolism increases above the normal rate, the amount of increase depending upon the type on nutrient taken. Fats will increase your metabolism at a lower rate than proteins will, for example, since more energy is needed to break down proteins than for fats. Another substance that stimulates thermogenesis is piperine. It does so by utilizing the biochemistry of the body so that the chemicals needed for thermogenesis are made available.

Piperine triggers the release of compounds known as catecholamines, hormones that in turn stimulate the thermogenetic process. However, this occurs over a short period of time, so the nutrients that are needed should be present in the gut as well since the window of absorption is very narrow. The substance also modifies the epithelial cell wall of the intestine to make it easier for the nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream, and it also gives amino acids a kick to get moving to the cells in which they are required.

Bioperine, then, not only sets off the metabolic changes that demand vitamins and other nutrients and enzymes, but also improves the conditions in your intestines so that these nutrients can more easily get to where they are needed. Basically, what Bioperine does is to cause the intestinal wall to become more permeable to nutrients, so that vitamins and drugs are not degraded when passing through the intestinal wall to the bloodstream. This improves digestion and absorption of minerals and vitamins, in addition to protein supplements frequently used in weight loss diets.

Bioperine starts by generating a need for nutrition and then increase the bioavailability of the nutrients provided to meet that need. However, due to the short window of absorption that piperine generates, the vitamins and minerals you want absorbed should be co-administered with the Bioperine so that they are in place ready to be absorbed at exactly the right time.

There have been several studies carried on the efficiency with which piperine achieves this. The absorption of three different types of nutrients has been measured with and without Bioperine. These were beta-carotene, a fat soluble vitamin, vitamin B-6, a water soluble vitamin, and also a mineral, selenium which was provided as selenomethionine. The absorption of these by the digestive system was measured by detecting them before and after in the blood, and were found to increase considerably when taken along with Bioperine, but not so with the control group without it.

Measured increases were a 60% increase in beta-carotene, similar to that of vitamin B-6, and was 30% in selenium. The tests used a 5 mg dose of the Bioperine. Other studies have indicated an increase in the absorption of Coenzyme Q-10 of between 30% - 200%. This is the only piperine based product that has been patented for its effect in increasing the absorption of nutrients into the body, and also the only piperine based product to undergo such tests in the U.S. to substantiate its claims and prove its safety for use.

The black pepper itself is a common household spice, and has been used in India for its medicinal properties for centuries. It is mentioned in the practice of Ayurveda and its concentration on the function of the digestive tract in human health. Many of its formulas contain black pepper amongst their ingredients. The bioavailability of nutrients is a significant factor in the health of any specific population, and the exponents of Ayurveda overcame this problem, by chance or design, six millennia ago. It has been demonstrated time and time again that diet is not the factor of importance in nutrition, but how much of that diet is absorbed through the intestines.

This is yet another example of the medicines of our ancestors being shown to have a solid scientific basis, and perhaps we should pay more attention to those others that are disregarded by modern science. It could be that we have only scratched the surface of understanding human metabolism and biochemistry, and that there is much left to learn. Ancient wisdom should never be disregarded.

Bioperine is also available in many supplement mixtures so that it is taken at the same time as the relevant vitamins and minerals. The recommended dosage is from 1 mg - 5 mg from 2 - 3 times daily. It takes around 2 - 5 mg of Bioperine to provide sufficient enhancement of absorption of the nutrients that are taken with it. Keep in mind that the nutrients are best taken at the same time, and that taking the extract itself will simple increase the absorption of any nutrients that are in the intestine at that time. Bioperine can be purchased at your local or internet vitamin store.