The ultimate native superfood
Still yet to be discovered by many, the native Tasmanian Pepper berry is packed full of flavour and natural health benefits with some calling it nature’s ultimate superfood!
“Antioxidants four times more powerful than the blueberry”
The Palawa, the first people of Tasmania, and the early settlers have known for years of the benefits of our Tasmanian Native Mountain Pepper Berry.
Much to our delight, it’s described as the ultimate bushfood by some and currently the Tasmanian native pepper (Tasmannia Lanceolata) is receiving more and more interest for both it’s taste but also it’s health properties as more and more is discovered about this ancient bushfood.
Our cool wet climate here in Tasmania is the perfect host to the plant producing both berries and leaf that we dry to use for food, nutriceuticals and health medicine. When ground, both the leaf and berry provide a powerful flavour and are an interesting alternative to black traditional pepper with their additional sweet profile providing more options for cooking and making the berry suitable for both savoury and sweet recipes.
The pepper berries also provide an interesting ingredient for curing meat or fish like salmon providing a beautiful deep red/purple colour once cured. Compared to black pepper, mountain pepper has more of a herbal profile, and provides a spicier, sharper and hotter punch.
MEDICINE FOOD.
Tasmanian Mountain pepper has not only served Indigenous people as a flavouring agent for food over generations, but also as a traditional medicine. Due to its high antioxidants, Tasmanian mountain pepper has been recorded during history as a treatment for a variety of illnesses from stomach aches and colic to skin disorders.
“The berry inhibits the growth of many pathogenic bacteria, protozoa and also has some limited antiviral activity. It also has good anti-cancer activity against multiple cancer cell lines.”
With potent antioxidants, four times more powerful than the beloved blueberry, mountain pepper’s health benefits are just as useful today as they have been over centuries. Antioxidants are linked to helping with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases, but more recent research highlights mountain pepper’s unique antiviral properties.
Also striking: the plant’s antibacterial properties. With antimicrobial components, mountain pepper has been found to inhibit the growth of food poisoning bacteria and prevent food spoilage, which Dr Cook's research demonstrates. More research is also revealing benefits to helping improve gut health.
We’ll continue to share more validated research on our site as it comes to light.
