Peruvian pepper treeSchinus molle

Did you know?

• Pink peppercorns are not pepper. They are the dried berries of Schinus trees; black pepper comes from Piper nigrum, a vine of a different plant family^{[3, 11, 12]}.

• The genus name Schinus comes from the Greek name for the Mediterranean mastic tree, and molle comes from mulli, the tree's name in Quechua^{[2, 10, 11]}.

• The pepper tree is a cousin of the cashew, the mango and the pistachio. All belong to the same plant family^{[1, 4]}.

• The "Brazilian peppertree" of botany books is a different species, Schinus terebinthifolia, from Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Its berries are also sold as pink peppercorns, known in France as baies roses^{[2, 7, 11]}.

• It reached California in 1830, when seed from Peru, carried north by a sailor, was planted by the padres of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside. Americans still call it the California pepper tree^{[2, 11]}.

Origins and history

The Peruvian pepper tree is fast-growing^[5]. It can reach about 50 feet (15 m), with a wide crown, weeping young branches and long compound leaves that smell peppery when crushed^[3]. Small cream to white flowers grow in clusters at the ends of the branches, followed by clusters of small, pinkish-red berries^{[3, 11]}. Each tree bears only male or only female flowers^[5]. People have carried it across the warm, dry parts of the world, from Mexico and California to the Mediterranean and Africa, and planted it as an ornamental^{[1, 4, 9, 11]}; in Australia it is now counted as an invasive species^[3].

Carl Linnaeus named the tree in 1753^[1], and a fragrant resin known as American mastic seeps from its bark^{[9, 11]}. The name "Brazilian peppertree" belongs to Schinus terebinthifolia, a species native to Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina that has become invasive in Florida, Hawaii, Texas and California^{[2, 7, 13]}.

The berries have a hot, peppery taste^{[3, 5, 8]}. Dried, they are sold as pink peppercorns and used as a pepper substitute^{[3, 5, 8]}, and they have long flavored drinks in South America: the ground fruits go into cooling drinks called horchatas, and wine has been made from the berries and twigs^{[5, 8]}. In the Andes they were brewed into chicha. Archaeologists have found spent molle berries at the Wari brewery of Cerro Baúl, showing that the Wari state (600 to 1000 CE) made chicha from them, and Spanish chroniclers later recorded chicha made from the berries of the pepper tree^[6].

Traditional uses

Clinical studies of the pepper tree in people are still few, but its traditional use in Peru and across South America is rich^{[8, 9]}.

• A peppery spice

  The dried berries are used in place of black pepper.^{[3, 5, 8]}

• Digestion

  In Peruvian folk tradition, the pepper tree has long been used for digestion, and a resin from the bark has traditionally been taken for the stomach. Pepper tree supports healthy digestion.*^{[5, 9]}

• Urinary tract

  In Peru and elsewhere, its traditional uses include the urinary tract. Pepper tree helps promote urinary tract health.*^{[8, 9]}

• Chest and airways

  The pepper tree also has a tradition of use for the respiratory system. Pepper tree supports respiratory health.*^{[8, 9]}

• The monthly cycle

  In folk tradition, women have also turned to the pepper tree through the monthly cycle. Pepper tree supports women's health through the monthly cycle.*^{[8, 9]}

Plant compounds

The leaves and berries contain an aromatic essential oil made up mainly of monoterpenes, such as α- and β-phellandrene, myrcene, limonene and α-pinene^{[8, 9]}. The resin that seeps from the bark contains terpenes of its own, including germacrene D^[9].