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Properties of Cayenne Pepper

Aug 11, 2011 | By Allison Adams

Cayenne pepper is a hot red chili pepper. It is one of several varieties of Capsicum annuum, one of the many species of chili pepper. Chili peppers are fruits of annual plants in the genus Capsicum, which in turn belong to the nightshade family. You can eat cayenne raw, cooked or dried. Dry cayenne is often sold in powdered form. You can use cayenne for both culinary applications and medicinal purposes.

Makeup

Capsaicin is the ingredient that is responsible for most the medicinal benefits of cayenne pepper and also provides the pepper's heat. Cayenne also contains vitamin C, saponin, pyrazin, flavonoid and carotenoid. The carotenoids have antioxidant properties that are useful in protecting your body's cells. According to the book, "Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine," the amount of capsaicin determines how much heat the pepper has. Generally, if the heat level is high, you will find cayenne more effective when used to treat ailments.

Internal Use

According to the "Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: The Definitive Home Reference Guide to 550 Key Herbs With All Their Uses as Remedies for Common Ailments, "you can use cayenne pepper to improve circulation and digestive problems in your body. Additionally, the heat produced by cayenne increases the flow of your body's saliva and stomach secretion. These secretions help your stomach digest food and also relieve constipation. The increased heat can also raise your body's metabolism levels which can facilitate calorie burning.

Topical Use

According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, capsaicin has pain relieving properties. Many over the counter medications actually contain capsaicin to reduce pain. Additionally, capsaicin blocks a chemical that your body uses to send pain signals to your brain. "The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine" recommends capsaicin for joint and muscle pain, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis and some types of nerve damage. Additionally, you can use capsaicin topically to alleviate minor pain associated with sprains and muscle injuries.

Taking Cayenne Pepper

There are several ways you can take cayenne. The intake method should depend in part on the medical condition you want to treat. If you want to take cayenne internally, you purchase cayenne pills. According to the "Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine," the pills must have at least .075 percent capsaicin to be effective. Topically, you can purchase cayenne in cream, lotion and ointment form. Again, you should look for topical solutions that contain at least .075 percent capsaicin. If you have any abrasions or wounds that have not fully healed, do not use capsaicin based topical pain relievers. If you are going to consume the pepper in its raw form, exercise caution with the heat level. There are different varieties of chili peppers that contain different amounts of capsaicin. Cayenne is one of these chili peppers. Individual cayenne peppers also contain varying amounts of capsaicin. Try a very small amount before taking a large bite of the pepper. You will find most of the pepper's heat in the seed and rib of the pepper.

Scoville Unit Heat Measurement

The Scoville scale represents the amount of capsaicin present in a chili pepper. The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) in cayenne pepper ranges from 30,000 and 50,000 units. By comparison, pure capsaicin has 15,000,000 to 16,000,000 SHU and jalapeno pepper and Tabasco sauce have only about 2,500 to 8,000 SHU.

References

Article reviewed by Vesna Vuynovich Kovach Last updated on: Aug 11, 2011

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