Piperine and curcumin

Abstract Black pepper is known for its pungent constituent piperine. It has wide culinary uses and also possess certain preservative and medicinal properties. Piperine, beyond pungency, has been found to possess bio-transformative effects that can detoxify pathogen, prevent oxidation, and improve the bioavailability and absorption of various drugs. Piperine also shows immunomodulatory, antiasthmatic, anticarcinogenic, antiulcer, antiamoebic, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antiulcer properties. On the other hand, curcumin, the curcuminoid of turmeric, mainly found in rhizomes of Curcuma spp., helped to prevent skin cancers, duodenum, forestomach, and colon cancers in mice. In India and many other regions of the world, piperine and curcumin have been part of the folk formulations used for treating various ailments for centuries. In this chapter, the recent developments regarding chemistry, extraction processes, pharmacological, and biological activities of both piperine and curcumin have been discussed.