Red pepper or cayenne is being used by Native Americans for over 9000 years. Capsaicin is the ingredient that makes
cayenne pepper hot and spicy. However, in spite of its hot taste, capsaicin triggers a part of the brain that reduces body temperature. Therefore, many people in the tropical and subtropical regions eat
cayenne pepper to help them stand the heat.
Today,
cayenne pepper has become so popular worldwide that it has become an important spice in Cajun and Creole dishes. People in China, Southern Italy, Southeast Asia and Mexico have included cayenne in their cuisines.
Cayenne is also used in Japanese, Indian Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Korean medications for treating digestive disorders, promoting appetite, muscle pain and frost bite. . Now it is also being used in Europe and the United States of America for reducing pain linked with conditions like shingles, arthritis and cancer. You can also find capsaicin in defense sprays.
Capsaicin, the main ingredient of cayenne is a strong pain reducing agent especially when applied to the skin surface. Capsaicin has a pain relieving substance called P that is responsible for pain relieving.
Cayenne gives best results to patients of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis, shingles, headaches and pain from neuropathy. It also provides relief to people who apply it after a surgery for example a mastectomy or pain resulting from amputation. It is used by people suffering from low back pain; however, other gels have lesser side effects. It also relieves you of pain from toothache.
Capsaicin is proved to be useful in reducing itching and inflammation caused due to psoriasis. Though there are cases of capsaicin producing positive results in weight loss programs, there have been no studies on the safety of capsaicin on people using it for weight loss.
Cayenne is a bush that is cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions. The fruit of the tree has long pods that become orange or yellow with maturity. The fruit is either eaten raw or in cooked form. You can also use in dried and powdered form as a spice and even in some medicines. Capsaicin is the most important substance in
cayenne, but other significant ingredients include vitamins A and C, carotenoids, and flavonoids. If you are under certain medications like ACE Inhibitors, aspirin, blood thinning medications or Theophylline, you must consult your medical practitioner before using
cayenne as it might interact with them.
