Cayenne For Throat Infections

A throat infection, often caused by bacteria or a virus, can make your throat sore and tender, making it painful to swallow or even talk. Because the streptococcus bacteria may cause the infection, it's imperative to see your doctor, who might prescribe a traditional course of conventional antibiotics. Cayenne pepper, that spicy-hot Mexican food seasoning that burns your mouth, might alleviate the pain of a sore throat and fight some types of infection. Clinical testing in this area, however, is limited. Consult your doctor before using herbs to treat any medical condition.

Sore Throat

During a throat infection, your throat may become inflamed, reddened and sore. Cayenne pepper, from the capsicum family of plants, contains capsaicin that acts as a pain modulator, according to the "PDR for Herbal Medicines." Tea made from cayenne will initially burn and sting because it's a surface irritant, but with continued use, capsaicin blocks the peptide, substance P, which transmits pain signals from the sore throat to your brain. Unfortunately, capsaicin's effect is cumulative, and may not reduce pain for up to seven days. By then, a sore throat associated with a cold or the flu may have healed.

Throat Infection

In addition to easing the pain of a sore throat caused by a virus, capsaicin, or capsicum frutescens, may inhibit the streptococcus pyogenes bacteria, which is responsible for strep throat. A 1996 study, conducted at the Department of Environmental and Plant biology at the University of Ohio, concluded that capsicum frutescens exhibited antimicrobial activity when exposed to the bacteria. Further research is necessary to confirm this beneficial effect on humans with throat infections.

Dosage

Sipping cayenne tea may be painful, especially when you have a sore throat. The "Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine" suggests a general dose made by mixing 1/4 tsp. of dried cayenne powder into 1 cup of cool or warm water. There is no specific dose available for treating a throat infection. Consult your doctor for additional dosage advice suited to your condition.

Considerations

Do not consume cayenne tea if you have a sore throat with open sores. Do not give cayenne to children under 2 years of age. Capsaicin may cause side effects, including stomach irritation, burning bowel movements and diarrhea. In large doses, the risk of side effects increases and the herb may cause kidney or liver damage. Do not take cayenne if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.