Schinus molle

Although not related to commercial pepper (Piper nigrum)[6] the pink/red berries are sold as pink peppercorns and often blended with commercial pepper.[6] The fruit and leaves are, however, potentially poisonous to poultry, pigs and possibly calves.[6] Records also exist of young children who have experienced vomiting and diarrhea after eating the fruit.[6] Presently Schinus molle lacks generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status with the United States Food and Drug Administration.[12]

Extracts of S. molle have been used as a flavor in drinks and syrups.[13]

In traditional medicine, S. molle was used in treating a variety of wounds and infections due to its antibacterial and antiseptic properties.[13] It has also been used as an antidepressant and diuretic, and for toothache, rheumatism and menstrual disorders,[13] with recent studies in mice providing possible support for its antidepressant effects.[14][15] It has also been speculated that S. molle's insecticidal properties make it a good candidate for use as an alternative to synthetic chemicals in pest control.[13]

Fresh green leaves in bunches are used shamanically in Mesoamerican traditional ceremonies for cleansings and blessings.[16]

The leaves are also used for the natural dyeing of textiles in the Andean region. This practice dates back to pre-Columbian times. The Incas used the oil from its leaves in early mummification practices to preserve and embalm their dead.[17]

There is archaeological evidence that the Wari state of the Middle Horizon (600–1000 AD) used the drupes of S. molle extensively for producing chicha, a fermented alcoholic beverage.[10][18][19] Archaeological excavations at the Quilcapampa site in southern Peru, found evidence that the Wari used seeds from the vilca tree (Anadenanthera colubrina) and combined the hallucinogenic drug with the chicha.[20]

The Inca used the sweet outer part of ripe fruit to make a drink. Berries were rubbed carefully to avoid mixing with the bitter inner parts, the mix strained and then left for a few days to produce a drink. It was also boiled down for syrup or mixed with maize to make nourishing gruel.[21]

In the late 19th century, S. molle was planted abundantly in California and became known as the "California pepper tree" to many.[22] The tree had romantic associations with the state's Spanish missions - by the 1870s "the pepper tree had become as familiar a visual trope as the padres' sandals and staffs."[22] They were also valued for their shade and tolerance of semi-arid conditions, and thus were planted along new avenues in the cities of Southern California. In 1911, an editorial in the Los Angeles Times celebrated the pepper tree:

"One of the first features to grip the eastern tourist when visiting this favored winter resort is the wonderful feathery foliage and the gorgeous scarlet berries of this matchless shade tree, giving, as it does, a pleasant air of holiday making and a wealth of tropical color to the Californian landscape...Why, the pepper tree has become an integral part of life in the sunny Southland."

However, S. molle fell out of favor as a street tree in the early twentieth century, in part because it hosts black scale, a scale insect which threatened the Citrus groves of Southern California.[22] The trees also tend to heave up sidewalks with their roots, produce suckers, and interfere with buried telephone wires and sewer pipes.[23][22] Many of the oldest trees were uprooted and new street plantings were banned in the citrus colonies (Los Angeles banned new street plantings in 1930).