BLACK PEPPER

Or in Latin Piper nigrum is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning, known as a peppercorn. It is native of South and South East Asia and is a high cultivation commodity throughout tropical regions.

Black pepper has been traded since ancient times, dating to the Egyptian Kingdom with its use in mummification. Like many eastern spices, pepper was historically both a seasoning and a folk medicine. Long pepper, being stronger, was often the preferred medication, but both were used. 

Black pepper (or perhaps long pepper) was believed to cure several illnesses, such as constipation, insomnia, oral abscesses, sunburn and toothaches, among others.