[7] Although piperidine is a common organic compound, it is best known as a representative structure element within many pharmaceuticals and alkaloids, such as natural-occurring solenopsins.

[13] Piperidine itself has been obtained from black pepper,[14][15] from Psilocaulon absimile (Aizoaceae),[16] and in Petrosimonia monandra.

Other examples are the fire ant toxin solenopsin,[18] the nicotine analog anabasine of tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), lobeline of Indian tobacco, and the toxic alkaloid coniine from poison hemlock, which was used to put Socrates to death.

A significant industrial application of piperidine is for the production of dipiperidinyl dithiuram tetrasulfide, which is used as an accelerator of the sulfur vulcanization of rubber.

Piperidine is also commonly used as a base for the deprotection of Fmoc-amino acids used in solid-phase peptide synthesis.

Piperidine is listed as a Table II precursor under the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances due to its use (peaking in the 1970s) in the clandestine manufacture of phencyclidine.