Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne peppers, doesn’t love them!? There’s not a pizza in the world that can’t be made better by sprinkling some cayenne pepper flakes on top. Today we are going to put aside all the delicious culinary applications of this spicy red pepper and get down to why you should consider it for your medicine cabinet.
Cayenne Peppers, or Capsicum frutescens, are part of the Solanaceae or nightshade family. The magic of the cayenne pepper comes directly from its alkaloid capsaicin. Many people even believe these peppers to be royalty among medicinal herbs as they’ve been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments. The capsaicin in the pepper is also what gives it its heat. The more capsaicin, the hotter the pepper AND the stronger the medicinal properties. So, if you want to make a potent salve, use the hottest peppers you can find!
Cayenne Peppers have been used to:
Boost Your Metabolism
One study concluded that participants that consume capsaicin and a medium-chain triglyceride oil with their meals burn around 51% more calories more than those that had neither.
Reduce Hunger
Studies have repeatedly shown that participants that consume capsaicin felt fuller longer and felt reduced hunger between meals.
Aid in Management of High Blood Pressure
While most the convincing evidence for capsaicin reducing blood pressure comes from animals studies, the findings have been pretty significant. It’s believed that the capsaicin helps relax blood vessels aiding in the reduction of blood pressure... at least it definitively did in pigs.
Promotes Good Digestion
Capsaicin stimulates digestive fluid that helps deliver enzymes to the stomach really amping up digestion.
Pain Relief
Capsaicin is a very powerful and potent pain reliever when applied topically to the skin via a salve or cream. This happens because capsaicin reduces the amount of substance P, a neuropeptide produced by the body to signal the brain to feel pain.
Psoriasis Relief
Applied topically, capsaicin creams often help with the itching and overall appearance of psoriasis.
May Aid in Fighting Cancer
Studies in animals shows great promise in capsaicins ability to aid in the fight against cancerous cells. It does this by effecting the pathways of cell growth.
Aiding in Blood Circulation
Many people find that using a capsaicin cream on extremities with poor circulation greatly improves the condition. It does this by producing heat at the location and inviting blood to the area of application.
Aiding Musculoskeletal Healing
In the same way it aids with circulation, its said to help with musculoskeletal healing. Capsaicin promotes blood flow in the area of application which can promote faster healing, especially when combined with compression.
There are some things to keep in mind when using capsaicin though.
Do not use if you’re on blood thinners. Capsaicin can further thin the blood and potentially increase your risk of bleeding.
NEVER and I mean NEVER use capsaicin products on broken skin. They will light you up! Always do a patch test on a small area of skin before applying a full treatment. Some people have much more sensitive skin than others and may find capsaicin products to be uncomfortable. This is especially important if you’re considering using capsaicin on a child... which I wouldn’t recommend.
Avoid use internally in ulcerative individuals. Capsaicin can often be an irritant for ulcers resulting in discomfort.Pictured below is the last Cayenne harvest from my 2020 summer garden.
I have dehydrated them in my Excalibur dehydrator and I just store them in a basket on my apothecary shelves. I will powder and encapsulate some of them to take internally and I will make salve out of the rest. My absolute favorite way to use capsaicin as medicine is topically.
If you’re interested in seeing a post detailing how to make a salve for your medicine comment, let me know below. Have you ever used capsaicin medicinally? If so, how did you find it?
