Pink Pepper Essential Oil: More than an Ornamental Tree

Welcome back to Harvesters’ Corner! Today we are looking at a beautiful tree found the world over. This particular tree, however, is indigenous to the Andean highlands in Peru, and since we have been previously looking at Copaiba (sourced from the Amazon) and Guiaicwood (sourced from the Chaco), it makes sense to start our discussion in Peru.

Pink Pepper, Schinus molle, is native to the northern Andes in Peru. It was a sacred tree to the Incan Empire as it helped to support the people’s health needs. The molle in the name is based on mulli, the Quechua word for the tree itself, and the term is applied to the berries used to produce the oil used by dōTERRA. The molle are very close in appearance to a whole black peppercorn, except for the fact that the molle is a dark pink. Surprisingly, Pink Pepper is a closer relative to cashews than it is to black pepper.  These trees rise to a height of roughly fifty feet (fifteen meters) tall. The upper branches tend to droop from the weight of the berries. The lacy leaves provide a broad shade canopy in the summer heat.

Peru, Where it all Started

Moyobamba, a village located in Andean foothills of north-central Peru, is home to roughly 51,000 people and the focus of doTERRA’s Pink Pepper harvesting in Peru. Farming is the dominant source of income, and the residents are always looking for additional means of being able to support their families. The landscape around the village is arid, with cactus and scattered brush across the landscape. A narrow, two-lane road winds along the edge of steep canyons. Thickets of Pink Pepper trees grow near dependable water sources. There are approximately thirty people harvesting the berries, with just over one hundred people supported by those jobs.

The process for gathering the berries is very labor intensive. The workers gather at the base of a tree and spread a large tarp on the ground to catch the fruit as it is beat out of the tree. Soon the tarp is moved away from the trees and the berries allowed to dry in the Equatorial sun. Women get to work separating the berries from the branches. This is done by removing the larger twigs, and then kneading handfuls of dried berries together to loosen the stems. Finally, they rub handfuls of berries between their hands to separate the twigs and branches. The berries are then scooped up in buckets, which are slowly emptied, enabling the breeze to carry away leaves and twigs as the berries fall back on the tarp. The cleaned berries are then gathered in a large white sac for delivery to the distillery. Close to one pound of berries (2.2 kg) are needed to produce enough oil to fill a 5mL bottle.

As stated before, Pink Pepper trees are indigenous to Peru. Around the start of the 1800s, the beauty and shade potential of the trees began to attract attention elsewhere, and many communities worldwide started to introduce Pink Pepper as ornamental plants. One such place was Los Angeles, California. In the late 1820s, a Spanish seaman visited Mission San Luis Rey, in San Diego. (1) Fifty years later, the Pink Pepper tree was as synonymous with the California Missions as the cloaked padres with their sandals and staffs. Soon communities all throughout southern California had Pink Pepper trees lining the main streets. But then it was discovered that a pest, a parasitic insect called Black Scale was attracted to the trees. While the Pink Pepper trees were able to withstand the insect, the bug threatened the countless orange groves driving the California economy. Pink Pepper was soon outlawed throughout the state. Today, the tree in Mission San Luis Rey still stands as one of the few remaining examples in the state, and the lanky palm has replaced it as the key identifying tree in California.

Then to Kenya

Another location where Pink Pepper was introduced as an ornamental tree was the African country of Kenya. Many decades after their introduction, these trees would be the means of empowering many families to become self-reliant.

In Victor Hugo’s classic work, Les Misérables, we meet a tragic figure, the beautiful Fantine. She is a single mother with a young daughter, whom is being raised by an innkeeper and his wife. This enables Fantine to devote all her time and energy to earning money to support her daughter. Then workplace rivalry rears its ugly head and Fantine loses her job. Distraught and anxious, she frantically searches for a new job to support her and her daughter. Her life quickly spirals out of control as she loses her home and, eventually, her dignity and self-respect. But life is not through with her yet, and she soon finds herself deathly ill and facing prison.

This story is closely echoed in the life of Veronica, a woman living in Kenya. In the early 2000s, Veronica’s life was one of joy and happiness. She was happily married to a man who possessed a good job working in the Kenyan government. Veronica and her husband were proud parents of four children, and a fifth was on its way. Then her world was turned upside down.

Emily Wright, Founding Executive of dōTERRA, was able to meet Veronica, and asked her about what happened. “It was twenty-fourteen,” Veronica replied, a catch in her voice and a sad expression in her eyes as she recalled the event. “[It was] a road accident. He was going to work at Nivasha.” After several moments, she continued, “It was hard to feed my children. I was very stressed and I struggled very much…Life was hard.” (2)

Emily Wright then added more to the story. Veronica struggled to find work. She soon lost her home, and worked any task she could to earn money to feed her children. She started making ropes from plant fibers, which shopkeepers who knew of her plight purchased out of pity. Veronica earned about 200 shillings a day from her ropes, the equivalent of about $2.00 US. But as time crawled on, she sold fewer and fewer ropes. Desperate, she turned to the truckers. They didn’t buy her ropes but indicated their willingness to buy something else from her. Faced with no other way to provide for her five children, she ended giving away her dignity and respect, much like Fantine in Hugo’s work.

Veronica met new friends during these years. Lucy was in a similar situation as Veronica, a young widow trying to survive. A few years passed, and one day they found themselves commiserating together as they sat in the shade afforded by the front of store. A large, muscular man watched them for several minutes, and approached.

Kigo was a man on a mission. Through his extensive network of sources, he had learned that an essential oil company was searching for people to gather the berries from the pink pepper trees that lined the streets in Kenya. Kigo could harvest them, but the trees wouldn’t bear his weight if he climbed them. Instead, he had to use a pair of pruners tied to a pole and pull on a rope to cut the branch free. As Kigo observed the two ladies seated in the shade, he made a choice. Concerning the meeting, he said, “They were just sitting on the front of the shop, and I said hi to them, and I said, “I’ve seen a lot of trees, here, which have got a lot of Pink Pepper seed on them”.” He talked about how the two women looked like they could climb the trees to gather the berries, and added, “I think, ladies, you can be able to do that.” (2)

Veronica was hesitant. Her children were at home, and they hadn’t been able to attend school because she couldn’t afford the tuition. She needed to make some money, for the kid’s sake.  

Kigo replied, “Maybe try the Pink Pepper…Even that day, I gave her some advance. I said I would cover it from the seed we would get later.”

The following day, Veronica was back to gather more Pink Pepper. She ended up with close to twenty kilos which she gathered that day. Veronica was soon averaging 1,500 shillings a day ($7.50 US) as a result of her hard work and determination. She isn’t the only one, either. Her friend, Lucy, states that the work is good. “This time I afforded rest, I afforded to eat, I afforded to cover [dress] my children, my family.” (2)

My Why

Some people may wonder why I spend time writing this blog, and why I keep referring to Co-Impact Sourcing and the Healing Hands Foundation. Veronica and Lucy are two prime examples why I do so. Both of these ladies were able to regain their dignity and self-respect, as well as be an example to their children, because of their hard work. Co-Impact Sourcing helps create life-changing opportunities like Veronica’s and Lucy’s possible, through paying a fair wage and teaching individuals to be self-reliant. Emily Wright states, “That’s why we do Co-Impact Sourcing. It will always be about the individual and how we can make their lives better.” (2)

There are close to 250 people harvesting Pink Pepper in Kenya, including Kigo, Veronica, and Lucy, and over nine hundred people supported by these jobs. This makes close to 1,200 people are leading self-reliant, meaningful lives because of this oil. Yet this number pales when compared to the number of lives being influenced through the work of the Healing Hands Foundation. Projects completed in the past include the following:

• Constructing classrooms and restroom facilities at Kiwegu Primary School.

• A school library, water storage, restrooms, and teacher living quarters at Mwamose Primary School.

• Construction of Majengo Mapys Kindergarten School.

• Construction of a community center where indigenous culture and health trainings have taken place for over 2,000 students.

• Supporting the Colobus Conservation, a non-profit organization striving to protect native primates and rebuilding the local forests with indigenous trees since 1997.

• Days for Girls Kits provided to 250 girls in Mount Kenya (3)

These projects, along with several others undertaken in Kenya, have improved the lives of more than 81,000 people, with new projects underway to support those completed. (4) In addition, new projects are being developed to further better people’s lives. Research has shown that Pink Pepper can support a healthy metabolism and help ground an individual. It mixes well with citrus oils and floral oils for use in a diffuser, or it can be used as a topical massage oil when added to fractionated coconut oil.

Thank you for your time and interest in learning more about Pink Pepper. I find it fascinating how one generation supported the spreading of the tree due to its ornamental abilities to dress up civic centers, and now a different generation is being able to work with the existing plants to be able to become self-reliant through diligence and hard work. Order Pink Pepper Oil and experience its benefits first-hand. As always, you can learn more about Co-Impact Sourcing and the Healing Hands Foundation in my previous posts. Lastly, join us next time, here at Harvesters’ Corner, as we look at another ornamental tree and how it, too, is being used to support self-reliance.

Until next time, stay safe!

Sources

1.    Accounts vary as to the year. One source says the visitor was a sailor who visited in 1830 (LA Times, 1988), while another source says the visitor was a captain who visited in 1825 (Lost LA). See French, Linda. “Schinus molle California Pepper Tree.” LA Times, 21 May 1988. Online. <www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-21-vw-2873-story.html>. Accessed 29 May 2024; and Public Broadcasting System. “Lost L.A.: When Pepper Trees Shaded the ‘Sunny Southland’.” Online. <www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/when-pepper-trees-shaded-the-sunny-southland>. Accessed 29 May 2024.

2.    dōTERRA. “Pink Pepper Essential Oil – Sourcing Pink Pepper in Kenya.” YouTube, 20 September 2018. Viewed 31 May 2024. See also “Pink Pepper Oil – Co-Impact Sourcing Pink Pepper Oil in Peru.” YouTube, 25 October 2018. Viewed 31 May 2024.

3.    A Days for Girls kit consists of two Days for Girls Pads (each with a waterproof shield and two absorbent liners), a washcloth, soap, an instruction sheet for care and use, and a carry pouch to store everything in. Each kit lasts for up to three years when properly cared for. The kits are dispersed during classes on health and well-being to help educate women about their bodies and provides hands-on training focused on care of the kit to ensure maximum benefit for the recipient. See Days for Girls online at <daysforgirls.org>.

4.    dōTERRA. Source to You: Pink Pepper.” Online. <sourcetoyou.com/en/stories/ story/pink-pepper>. Accessed 29 May 2024.