Long Pepper Powder

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Long pepper powder is the dried, ground fruit of Piper longum (family Piperaceae), a perennial shrub native to the Indo-Malaya region widely used as a culinary spice and preservative. It is used to impart pungency and flavour in food, driven by its key alkaloid piperine, and has a long history of use in Ayurvedic and other traditional medicine systems.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Long pepper powder is generally recognised as safe when used in normal culinary amounts; a genotoxicity study confirmed no genotoxic property and supported its safety for consumption. Its key bioactive compound, piperine, can interact with multiple drugs by increasing their bioavailability, which may pose risks for individuals on certain medications. Animal studies at high isolated-piperine bolus doses indicate possible hepatic changes and reproductive effects, though dietary exposure levels from spice use are well below adverse thresholds.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Long pepper is used as a spice and flavouring in EU member states. EFSA has flagged that isolated piperine in concentrated supplement form warrants safety assessment, but culinary use of the spice is not restricted. No harmonised maximum level established.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Recognised as a permitted spice under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 2.9 covering salt, spices, condiments and related products. No specific ADI set; must comply with contaminant and quality standards.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Piper longum (long pepper) is listed in FDA's GRAS databases as a spice and natural flavouring. Its key alkaloid piperine has FEMA GRAS number 2909. No maximum daily intake established for culinary use.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — Animal studies on isolated piperine at higher bolus doses have indicated maternal reproductive and embryotoxic effects, and traditional Ayurvedic texts note that P. longum fruits have been used as a contraceptive, warranting caution during pregnancy especially with concentrated extracts or supplements.

Infants — Piperine exhibits strong gastrointestinal activity and can alter intestinal membrane permeability; concentrated long pepper powder is not appropriate for infants given their underdeveloped digestive and metabolic systems.

Liver Disease — Animal studies at high piperine doses have shown hepatic dysfunction including elevated liver enzymes, hepatocyte degeneration, and steatosis, suggesting that individuals with pre-existing liver disease should limit intake and consult a doctor.

Ibs — Piperine in long pepper can modulate intestinal permeability and motility, which may exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.

— Individuals taking prescribed medications (e.g. certain antibiotics, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, immunosuppressants) should consult a doctor, as piperine is a well-documented bio-enhancer that significantly increases the bioavailability of many drugs, potentially causing unintended overdose effects.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations – Chapter 2.9: Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products, 2024. fssai.gov.in
2PubMed. Tissue-specific variations of piperine in ten populations of Piper longum L.: bioactivities and toxicological profile, 2024. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Piper longum L.: A comprehensive review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and health-promoting activities, 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. Safety Aspects of the Use of Isolated Piperine Ingested as a Bolus, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5PubMed. Determination and risk characterisation of bio-active piperine in black pepper and selected food containing black pepper consumed in Korea, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6PubMed. Overview for various aspects of the health benefits of Piper longum linn. fruit, 2011.

Independently researched6 citations