Is black pepper bad for you?

Black pepper is healthy to ingest because it is highly nutritious and provides many health benefits, according to the George Mateljan Foundation. It is a good source of calcium, dietary fiber, vitamin K, chromium and iron and is very low in calories.

Black pepper boosts intestinal health and helps with digestion. Consumption of black pepper helps reduce indigestion, heartburn, gas, constipation, irritation and can relieve diarrhea. It accomplishes this by stimulating the taste buds in the mouth, which causes the stomach to increase the amount of hydrochloric acid it produces. Hydrochloric acid is the key component that is responsible for breaking down proteins and digesting other foods in the stomach.