Bioperine is a trademarked extract of black pepper, made by the supplement ingredient company Sabinsa. It is standardised to contain a high proportion of piperine, the natural compound that gives black pepper its heat, and it appears in small amounts in a wide range of herbal supplements, including our tongkat ali capsules.
Where it comes from
Black pepper is the dried fruit of Piper nigrum, a flowering vine native to southern India. Piperine makes up only a few per cent of whole peppercorns, so to make Bioperine the pepper is extracted and purified until the finished ingredient is mostly piperine. That means a few milligrams of extract carry the same amount of piperine as a much larger quantity of ground pepper.
Why it is added to supplements
Piperine has been studied for its effect on how the body processes other substances, and this is the main reason supplement makers include it alongside herbal extracts. The best known research looked at curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, and is the reason turmeric and black pepper are so often sold together. Results from one ingredient cannot simply be assumed to apply to another, so we include Bioperine as a standard, widely used ingredient rather than making any claim for what it does in our product.
Is it safe
At the small amounts used in supplements, usually around 5 to 10mg a day, piperine is widely used and generally well tolerated. However, because piperine can affect the way the body processes some substances, it may also change how certain medicines behave. If you take any prescribed medication, speak to your pharmacist before taking a supplement that contains black pepper extract.
Last reviewed 2 November 2026