What are the Health Benefits of Cayenne pepper?

Cayenne pepper a kitchen ingredient

Cayenne pepper is a flavoring agent and a common kitchen ingredient comes under Capsicum species. The addition of this spice ingredient not only adds a hot flavor to your favorite dish but also accomplishes health-supporting purposes. Native Americans use this pepper for both cooking and therapeutic purposes. Then, European people started using this pepper and gradually transported to different tropical and sub-tropical regions. In India, Cayenne pepper is known as chili.

Benefits of Cayenne pepper

The traditional Ayurvedic medicinal system first introduced Cayenne pepper for its health benefits. Later different folk medicinal systems including Chinese, Japanese, Korean practitioners continued to treat different diseases with Cayenne pepper. It has identified that the phytochemicals and combination of vitamins and minerals promote overall health due to their cleansing properties. Traditionally, Cayenne pepper used to treat Rheumatism, diabetes, and ulcers.

The phytochemical present in Cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper is a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamin B-complexes, vitamin C and vitamin E along with minerals like potassium and calcium.

Hot flavor of Cayenne pepper is due to the presence of certain phytochemicals like capsaicinoids, mainly capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. Capsaicin is the phytochemical chiefly responsible for imparting the pain-relieving property of Cayenne pepper. Flavonoids present in this plant source are important dietary factory responsible for different therapeutic benefits like chemo-preventive action, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-mutagenicity effect, anticancer, etc.

What is the Mode of action of Cayenne pepper health benefits?

Cayenne pepper containing capsaicin acts on nociceptive sensory neurons to provide the pain-relieving effect. But this herbal ingredient also potentially modulates metabolic activity by activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptors. This mechanism helps to improve vascular health and metabolic functioning. An animal study reported that capsaicin-rich diets have favorable effects on hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiac hypertrophy, stroke risk, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver, and obesity. A small-scale clinical study also reported that capsaicin patch applied topically could improve exercise time to the ischemic threshold in angina affected patients.

Different Forms of Cayenne pepper

• Cayenne pepper powder: This is a fast-acting dosage form, which increases the secretion of digestive juice and sends signals to quick blood circulation.
• Cayenne pepper capsule: This dosage form is especially recommended as a supplement to improve digestive functioning, blood circulation, metabolic functioning, immune system functioning and enhance nutrient supply by increasing their bioavailability.
• Capsaicin patch: This is a specially designed dermatological patch, which needs to apply topically to improve blood circulation in patients with angina.
• Topical ointment and cream: Capsaicin obtained from Cayenne pepper can be a major ingredient of herbal pain-relieving ointment and cream to relieve headache, back pain, strains, and sprains.
• Cayenne pepper tincture: This is an extract of Cayenne pepper help to reduce heart attack risk.
• Health Benefits of Cayenne pepper tea: Intake of one teaspoon of Cayenne pepper in hot water immediately helps to prevent the cardiac attack.

Benefits of Cayenne pepper

The following are the different health benefits of Cayenne pepper.

Cayenne pepper and digestion

Cayenne pepper helps to restore the stomach functioning and improve peristaltic movement in the intestine. It increases the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach for churning the food content and helps in better digestion and absorption of food, specially proteinous food items. It also aids in the elimination of unwanted food content. Improve digestive health not only improve the physical condition but overall well-being by supplying adequate nutrition to the brain, glands, muscles and every other part of the body.

A small-scale placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that Cayenne pepper is effective to treat dyspepsia. Research result showed 2.5 grams of Cayenne pepper powder for 5 weeks treatment period is effective to reduce pain, bloating, and nausea symptoms. The beneficial effects were started from the 3rd week of the treatment.

Cayenne pepper for heart

Cayenne pepper stimulates blood circulation in the heart muscle and increases heart functioning, which prevents heart attack. Cayenne pepper prevents blood clots by assisting in fibrin dissolution and has the ability to enhance cardiovascular performance. This herbal supplement able to treat cardiac insufficiency related fatigue and helps to restore cardiac stamina and vitality. This herbal remedy does not cause side effects commonly occur with using synthetic medications like palpitations, sudden blood pressure enhancement, etc. This herbal medication smoothly stimulant cardiac activity. The composition of vitamins present in Cayenne pepper has a heart-healthy effect due to their antioxidant properties and inducing hemostatic activities.

Benefits of cayenne pepper for blood pressure

This drug has an antiplatelet effect which prevents blood clot within the blood vessels and smoothly flow the blood circulation. In addition, this herbal ingredient lower blood cholesterol level by eliminating bad cholesterol like LDL and triglycerides, which causes plaque formation in the blood vessels and causes hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Regulate body temperature

Cayenne pepper is beneficial for individuals who often have a complaint of cold hands and feet. Cayenne pepper is effective to regulate body temperature by improving peripheral blood circulation and also equalize arterial and venous blood circulation.

Benefits of cayenne pepper for weight loss

Capsaicin present in Cayenne pepper enhances basal metabolic rate by boosting energy expenditure.

Boost immune functioning

The combination of bioactive components present in Cayenne pepper, such as vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin A, B complex, and pantothenic acid boost immune functioning.

Cayenne pepper cancer benefits

Cayenne pepper induces apoptosis and taking part in cancer cell death. laboratory investigation showed that Cayenne pepper is effective to kill carcinogenic cells that develop in the prostate, breast, stomach, pancreas and lung tissue.

Analgesic effect

Cayenne pepper can counteract the pain and help to provide an analgesic effect. It has been also found that this herbal ingredient acts on sensory nerves and reduce pain intensity. The analgesic property of Cayenne pepper is effective to reduce pain symptoms in post-herpetic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, arthritis, and nerve pain after cancer surgery. The pain-relieving effect of Cayenne pepper has studied through a double-blind trial. The trial result showed that the topical application of plaster containing capsaicin obtained from Cayenne pepper effective to reduce back pain symptoms.

Benefits of cayenne pepper for skin

Capsaicin, the bioactive phytochemical of Cayenne pepper is effective to treat dermatological itching conditions and also effective to treat psoriasis. A placebo-controlled human research study has proven the efficacy of capsaicin for the overall improvement of skin itching condition and reduction of psoriasis severity. Experts assumed that controlling the skin itching effect of capsaicin may help to reduce prurigo nodularis.

Cayenne Pepper Side effects

How much cayenne pepper is too much? Dose differences can cause side effects. Increase dosing possible responsible for diarrhea, stomach ache, nausea, and vomiting. Direct skin contact, especially in contact with eye may cause dangerous effects by provoking burning sensation. Regular consumption of a higher dose of Cayenne pepper may lead to gastrointestinal problems, liver damage, kidney problems, and even in severe condition may cause death. Besides capsaicin, an excessive dose of Cayenne pepper containing other flavonoids may act as a carcinogenic.

Precautionary measures include keeping out of reach of children. Pregnant and lactating mothers should avoid Cayenne pepper intake. Avoid using on open wound Cayenne pepper has contraindication with pepper, mugwort, celery, and birch pollen allergies.

References

1. Cayenne pepper Pepper.
2. Gayathri N, Gopalakrishnan M, Sekar T. Phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity of Capsicum Chinese Jacq. International Journal of Advances in Pharmaceutics 5 (1) 2016.
3. Health Benefits of Cayenne pepper
4. Mark F McCarty, James J DiNicolantonio, James H O’Keefe. Capsaicin may have important potential for promoting vascular and metabolic health. Open Heart. 2015; 2(1): e000262. Published online 2015 Jun 17. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2015-000262.
5. Mukul Chauhan, Chhavi Kant, Chitra Negi, And Prachi Chauhan. Blood Circulation Stimulation Properties of Cayenne pepper Pepper: A Review.OSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) e-ISSN: 2278-5736.Volume 11, Issue 5 Ver. I (May. 2018), PP 78-83.

Medicinal Use and Health Benefit of Cayenne pepper Pepper (Capsicum) – Healing with Cayenne pepper.