PIPER NIGRUM IN ALZHEIMER'S AND COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

Every 65 seconds, someone in the U.S develops Alzheimer's dementia. Alzheimer's is a chronic brain disorder affecting approximately five million Americans. Alzheimer's is an irreversible form of dementia that progressively worsens memory and simple cognitive abilities. There is no known cure for Alzheimer's. Current treatment includes pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches (e.g. aromatherapy). Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils from aromatic plants and is being explored in cognition studies.Piper nigrum or black pepper has cognitive-enhancing properties. The purpose of this project was to review the literature regarding the use of black pepper in Alzheimer's. PubMed, CINAHL, Ovid Medicine, and ProQuest databases were searched for peer-reviewed journal articles written in English and published since 2014 with the following keywords: Cognitive, essential oil,Piper nigrum, aromatherapy and Alzheimer's. Nine articles were found that met the literature review criteria three animal and six human studies. These studies established the effectiveness of black pepper essential oil for both improving function and reducing cognitive decline. These studies may open doors for aromatherapy research in Alzheimer's. Despite efficacy, the preferred administration method (inhalation or topical) is unclear.Piper nigrum essential oil can potentially change Alzheimer's patients disease trajectory and should be further studied.