Discovery Health “Cayenne Pepper: Herbal Remedies”

Are you a hot salsa or chili fan? Then you’ll want to learn more about the virtues of the cayenne pepper. These ripe fruits of the Capsicum genus are widely used as a popular spice, but cayenne peppers also are dried and powdered or tinctured for medicinal purposes. In this article, you will learn some herbal remedies using cayenne pepper as well as some precautions you should take when using this fiery plant.

Uses of Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne stimulates digestion and muscle movement in the intestines, which helps restore deficient digestive secretions and aids absorption of food nutrients. (Stomach acid tends to decline with age, and some cases of poor digestion are related to a lack of this acid.)

Cayenne also stimulates circulation and blood flow to the peripheral areas of the body. Because it stimulates digestion and circulation, cayenne is often added to a wide variety of herbal remedies; it improves the absorption and circulation of the other herbs throughout the body.

Have you ever gone after the chips and salsa with gusto and then felt flushed and drippy in the nose? Cayenne warms the body and stimulates the release of mucus from the respiratory passages. Anyone who has eaten cayenne knows that hot peppers can clear the sinuses and cause sweating.

Cayenne actually can raise the body temperature a bit, as it stimulates circulation and blood flow to the skin. An herb such as cayenne or ginger that promotes fever and sweating is considered to have a diaphoretic (sweat-inducing) action. This action can help reduce fevers and relieve such the congestion of colds and sinusitis.

Cayenne has become a popular home treatment for mild high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels. Cayenne preparations prevent platelets from clumping together and accumulating in the blood, allowing the blood to flow more easily. Since it is thought to help improve circulation, it’s often used by those who have cold hands and feet.

via Discovery Health “Cayenne Pepper: Herbal Remedies”.

What is Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne Pepper originally came from the West Indies and the French Guiana on the northeast coast of South America. It is part of the Capsicum family of vegetables which includes vegetables such as the Chilli pepper, Red Pepper, Green pepper, Bell pepper and so many others. The cayenne Pepper has many other names like the African red pepper, Guinea pepper, American red pepper, bird pepper or Spanish pepper. It was believed that the Cayenne Pepper could be used to treat a large amount of different diseases. Ever since then it has been used as herbal remedies to many different ailments.
The Cayenne Pepper contains many different nutrients such as Capsaicin, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Carotenoids and a few vitamins in the B Complex. The Capsaicin is what give it its heat so there for the more Capsaicin in it the hotter it is. This is why the Cayenne Pepper is so good to help with certain health conditions and has great health benefits. For instance it increases blood flow, it can reduce heart attacks, increase your metabolism and help to reduce arthritis and so much more.
Cayenne Pepper is also great for cooking. If you want to add a bit of spice to your meals that it’s not over bearing but compliments your food, try adding a bit of Cayenne Pepper to it. It adds an extra bit of zest to your meal. You can also add it to your sauces and dressings to spice things up a little. You can add Cayenne pepper to many different foods to spice things up.