Cayenne – also known as red pepper, capsicum, chili pepper, and several other names is a shrub that grows in subtropical and tropical climates. Its fruit grows into long pods that turn red, orange, or yellow when they are ripe. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked, or is dried and powdered into the spice that has been used for centuries in foods and medicines.
Cayenne has become an important spice, particularly in Cajun and Creole cooking, and in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, China, southern Italy, and Mexico.
Capsaicin is the ingredient in cayenne that makes it hot. Even though cayenne tastes hot, capsaicin is reported to actually help lowering body temperature, which is one of the reasons that people in hot climates like to eat so much of it.
Capsaicin also contributes to many of cayenne’s other medicinal properties to stimulate the cardiovascular system, relieve pain on the surface of the skin or in joints (capsaicin creams), improve digestion, act as an expectorant, and fight bacteria. It is also an antioxidant.
Cayenne has been frequently used by herbalists to treat diseases of the circulatory system. Some herbal stores report that cayenne lowers levels of cholesterol in the blood, although there are few if any scientific studies that would support this claim. They also suggest that it keeps blood in your arteries from clotting. These properties would help to prevent heart disease, such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
There is a paucity of studies done to see the effects of cayenne on humans. There are a few studies that have tested the effects of cayenne on rats. Is this spice highly underrated? Does it in fact lower cholesterol in humans? This is yet to be scientifically proven. But the facts that it has been used for many generations to alleviate circulatory problems suggests to its effectiveness in doing so.
Some authors say that the pharmaceutical companies do not want the public to be aware of the effectiveness of cayenne in treating heart disease and other ailments. This would not surprise me. I would side with a natural cure that has been used for years over a synthetic-pharmaceutical one that has been tested only briefly (less than a generation). We’ve seen too many of those cause problems.
In any case, cayenne has been used for a long time to treat various ailments and has gained a certain amount of credibility in doing so. It has become a very popular spice for medicinal and nutritional purposes.
Cayenne is readily available in powder form, in capsule or tablet herbal formulations, as tincture, dried herb, tea, or essential oil. It is suggested that an oil preparation can be rubbed on sprains, swelling, sore muscles, and joints to ease pain. Cayenne can be combined with myrrh and used as a gargle or antiseptic wash to treat laryngitis.
Note that – pregnant women and patients with ulcers, gastritis, or bowel diseases should avoid cayenne or use only under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner. Large doses can cause stomach pain or vomiting. Prolonged application of cayenne on the skin can cause dermatitis or blistering.
In the future, I believe the true medical effectiveness of cayenne in treating various ailments will be revealed and it will get the respect it is due. In the meantime, I won’t turn down a good (spicy) bowl of chili.
Tim Lazaro is a nutrition scholar and competitive, masters runner who writes on issues related to heart health, natural-food diets, and aerobic exercise. By employing the diets and life-style changes that he writes about, he has lowered his total cholesterol and lost weight. If you want to learn more about lowering your cholesterol, download his Free guide here: Five Secrets to Lowering Cholesterol
