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Fight off the blues with black pepper

Are you depressed? Try adding black pepper to your meal regularly and get rid of depression naturally.

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Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Published : July 25, 2014 4:44 PM IST

Black PepperBlack pepper, known as kali mirch in hindi is commonly used to spice up your meal along with adding an extra zing to your dishes. Widely used in rasams and soups, this humble spice provides a wide range of health benefits. Black pepper acts as a powerful and potent natural remedy to treat depression along with enhancing your brain activity.

As per a study published in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology it is reported that black pepper acts as a natural anti-depressant.[1] It contains a compound called piperine, which is found to relieve depression and increase cognitive function of the brain. Piperine also helps in stimulating the nervous system and inhibiting monoamine oxidase (molecules that are responsible for depression) activity. In addition to possessing anti-depressant like activity, black pepper is also found to increase the levels of serotonin (happy hormone) and noradrenaline (neurotransmitter).[2]

Regular consumption of this spice is found to enhance brain activity and make you smarter and stress-free. You can attain the anti-depressant properties of black pepper by adding it to your meal preparations, as a seasoning or on salads.

References:

  1. Song Li, Che Wang, Wei Li, Kazuo Koike, Tamatsu Nikaido & Min -Wei Wang.Antidepressant-like effects of piperine and its derivative, antiepilepsirine Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, 2007. Pages 421-430. doi:10.1080/10286020500384302
  2. Mao QQ, Xian YF, Ip SP, Che CT. Involvement of serotonergic system in the antidepressant-like effect of piperine. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2011 Jun 1;35(4):1144-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2011.03.017. Epub 2011 Apr 6. PubMed PMID: 21477634.

Image Source: Getty Images

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