White pepper, the pepper that came from abroad

Hu Jiao reads “the pepper of the Hu”: Hu referred to the peoples of the west and north-west, everything that came from beyond the borders, and Jiao to pungent fruits in general. The name therefore says what pepper is in China: a spice from abroad, brought along the trade routes of India and South-East Asia. The plant, a tropical vine, is native to the Malabar Coast and Sri Lanka; it was introduced to China only in the 1940s, on Hainan. White pepper is the same fruit as black pepper, left to ripen until red, soaked and then rubbed to remove the husk: only the seed remains, smooth and greyish white.

Warming the Middle, dispelling Cold

In traditional Chinese medicine, pepper is hot and pungent: a single flavour, a single nature, and both pull in the same direction. The pungent disperses and sets things moving, the hot warms; tradition ranks it among the most decidedly hot substances. It enters the Stomach and goes down as far as the Large Intestine: it is a substance of the digestive tract, and of it alone. When Cold lodges in the Stomach and Intestines, it contracts and immobilises; the heat of pepper drives it out and gives the Middle back the fire that transforms. With the Cold removed, the Middle regains its taste for what it is given: tradition credits it with opening the appetite.

White pepper, the form for internal use

Removing the husk concentrates the piperine: white pepper stays hot and pungent, but more concentrated, and it is the form used internally in China. It also helps the Stomach Qi descend when it rises against its course, and transforms cold Phlegm. Its aroma comes from volatile compounds that cooking carries off: most often it is taken as a fine powder mixed into food rather than as a decoction. With galangal, it warms the Middle Burner more strongly than either one alone. Modern research is taking a particular interest in piperine.

Key benefits

Good Digestion & Warmed Middle

Hot and pungent, white pepper warms the Stomach and contributes to good digestion when Cold slows the Middle.

Appetite Regained

With the Cold removed, the Middle regains its taste for meals: tradition credits it with opening the appetite.

Genuine Warmth

Among the hottest substances in Chinese tradition, it warms the body from the Middle, in measured amounts.