Cayenne

by Gudrun Maybaum
August 2001

Cayenne/capsicum
Botanical name: Capsicum frutenscens
Family Name: Solanaceae or Nightshade

Active component: capsaicin, a plant oil

Capsaicin is an ingredient in cayenne that was isolated by chemists more than hundred years ago. It causes the sensory neurons to release P, a substance which works as a pain messenger to the nervous system to relief pain. The name capsaicin is found in many drugstore ointments for arthritis and muscle pain.  

History

The first references to cayenne have been found on plaques in Egyptian tombs. It has been cultivated for culinary and medical uses for centuries in the American tropics.  The physician Diego Alvarez Chanca described cayenne first in 1494. He discovered cayenne when he accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second journey to the West Indies. In 1943, the Dispensary of the United States of America stated "Capsicum is a powerful local stimulant, producing when swallowed, a sense of heat in the stomach and a general glow over the body without narcotic effect."

Cayenne is native to tropical America, but is now cultivated in tropical locations all over the world. In Mexico, Italy, China and Southeast Asia it is a common part of the cuisine.  Here is more about the history and use of Cayenne from ancient times to the present. http://schoolofnaturalhealing.com/history.htm

Nutrition

Cayenne is rich in the vitamins A, C, iron, potassium and calcium. It also contains some B complex, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur. It has an antioxident effect that in very high doses can increase the risk of some cancers but in moderate doses can help to heal other cancers.

Healing

Health practitioners consider cayenne one of the most important herbs and a wonderful healer. Prized for thousand of years for its healing powers, recent clinical studies have been conducted on many of these old-time health applications and have validated cayenne’s medical value. Herbalists use it as a catalyst in many herbal combinations, thus aiding the absorption and effectiveness of the other herbs in the combination. The number of conditions that cayenne  can be used for is quite extensive. Its most specific uses are for the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems.

First Aid

Because of its stabilizing effect for bleeding, shock and heart attack it is the number one herb for first aid. Place either powder or extract under the tongue in an emergency situation involving one of these situations. It can be used externally to purify wounds and mixed with plantain will help to draw slivers.

Although hot to the taste, cayenne actually lowers body temperature by stimulating the cooling center of the hypothalamus and promoting perspiration. So, it helps the body deal with high temperatures in the summer or the humid tropics. 

Heart

Cayenne is known to stop a heart attack. Medical science does not know of another stimulant which is so natural, certain and has fewer side effects when regularly used. (Two capsules twice a day is the recommended dosage for ongoing use.) Because it helps to prevent the formation of clots, it should not be taken in conjunction with anticoagulant medication.

Cayenne  normalizes blood pressure and in fact can stimulate heart action without increasing blood pressure.  It can heal ulceration in the vessel walls of capillaries, veins, and arteries. Thus, it can improve circulation. It also lowers serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides, and improves the ratio of HDL / LDL cholesterol.

Digestive Tract

Cayenne increases the flow of digestive juices from salivary glands, stomach, and intestines.  It has been used to heal some kinds of stomach ulcers but has aggravated others. It does have antibiotic effects against invading bacteria. In South America, peppers have been used to kill intestinal parasites. Consuming high amounts of peppers may produce a burning sensation in the rectum during bowel movements. Thus people with hemorrhoids would be advised not to take large doses of cayenne

Respiratory

Cayenne can activate the antioxidant enzyme systems and stabilize lung membrane lipids.  It has a soothing effect on bronchial passages and stimulates fluid production, which helps to liquefy thick mucus. Some practitioners feel that eating hot peppers on a regular basis (or taking cayenne in capsule form) helps to prevent chronic bronchitis. Animal studies demonstrate a reduction of inflammation in lung tissues when doses of cayenne were administered.

Pain

The 'bite' or burning sensation produced by consuming peppers sends a signal to the brain causing it to produce endorphins. Endorphins are natural pain killers that create a sense of euphoria or 'feeling good'.  Externally, cayenne desensitizes nerve endings, thus reducing sensations of pain. It has been used for toothaches, sore muscles, and the aches of rheumatisma and arthritis.

General tonic

Scientific evidence indicates that cayenne pepper can be effective in treating allergies, indigestion, abscesses, tonsillitis, kidney problems, sore muscles, nose bleeds, psoriasis, shingles, night blindness, some kinds of cancer and in stimulating the body to rebuild stomach tissue. 

Read this fascinating account of how Cayenne has been used for healing a variety of ills, even to stopping serious bleeding: http://schoolofnaturalhealing.com/cayenne.htm

All the above applies for the dried raw fruit or powder. In the cooked or un-dried form, cayenne can be a serious irritation to the digestive tract and can contribute to an ulcerous condition.  

Case studies 

Guy is a Red Fronted Amazon that was badly beaten by one of his cage mates. He had lots of bite wounds on his wings and neck, but the worst was his on head, which had a big open wound. And, he had gone blind. Typically, this happened late in the evening when no vet was available until the morning. 

We brought him into the house, put him into a warm environment and I started to give him water with cayenne powder. Several vets had told me that most animals in such cases die of shock and not of the actual injury. My main concern was to stabilize him. That is why I kept giving him the “cayenne water”.

During the night I occasionally checked on him and he seemed to be stabilized. In the morning he had his eyesight back. According to the vet, the loss of the eyesight was a side effect of the shock.  The vet had to do a major surgery and Guy got several stitches on his head to close the wound.  He is fully recuperated, but very shy with other birds. 

A former roommate of mine had a pair of canaries. One day we found the female laying on her back with seizures. We gave her water with cayenne powder and she was back to normal within half an hour. After that, she was given the cayenne powder sprinkled over her food daily. She was doing fine, until my friend forgot and stopped giving her the cayenne. She does not remember how long after she stopped that she came home and found the canary had died. 

References 

The Food Pharmacy by Jean Carper
Staying Healthy With Nutrition by Elson M Haas, MD
Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss
The Healing Power of Cayenne Pepper by Patrick Quillin, MD
The Little Herb Encyclopedia by Jack Ritchason N.D.
Today’s Herbal Health by Louise Tenney, M.H.
Herbal Medicine by Sharol Tilgner, N.D.
10 Essential Herbs by Lalitha Thomas

http://www.natures-herbs.com/cayenne.htm http://www.findarticle.com/ml279_August/55226119/pl/article.html www.alternative-medicine.com/herbdesc/1capsicu.htm http://schoolofnaturalhealing.com/cayenne.htm