Cayenne Pepper

Capsicum annuum, or cayenne pepper, is a potent spice. Known for lending heat to foods and to the human body alike, it also works to cleanse and support many of the body's systems and organs. Ground and dried cayenne pepper has been used traditionally in cuisine and medicine around the world.

Origin

Hot and bell peppers both originate in the Americas. They were first discovered by Columbus but were brought to Europe by another explorer, Diego Alvarez Chanca, in the late fifteenth century.

From Europe, the peppers spread to Asia, where hot chili peppers such as cayenne became an entrenched part of Chinese, Korean, Indian and Japanese cooking and health care. It is a famous part of Mexican and other South American cuisines.

Cayenne Pepper in Traditional Medicine

Cayenne is said to work "as a catalyst" – when mixed with other herbs, it "makes the other herbs react and thus work more effectively." (Woloshyn, 2007)

It has traditionally been used to break down congestion, fight sore throat and colds, raise metabolism, improve digestion, and as a blood purifier. It is also recommended to stop internal bleeding and to help clot and heal external wounds.

Cayenne pepper is high in vitamins A and C, some B vitamins, as well as calcium and potassium – both of which are strongly alkalizing, fighting acid disease states in the body.

Cayenne Pepper in Modern Medicine

Medical treatments derived from cayenne pepper mostly involve capsaicin, a phytochemical present in both bell peppers and hot peppers. Capsaicin has been studied for its beneficial effects on pain, diabetes, weight loss, lung congestion, cholesterol, and even cancer.

Capsaicin is an ingredient in numerous pain-relief products, especially creams and ointments.

Cayenne Pepper vs. Pain and Inflammation

Cayenne is often used against pain and inflammation.

Applied topically, it acts as a nerve irritant, distracting the body from joint (or other) pain by creating another signal for nerves to send – and blocking pain signals.

Used internally as part of a cleanse or an herbal treatment, cayenne helps to break down congestion and toxicity in muscles or joints, relieving the source of the problem and allowing the body to heal.

Cayenne Pepper and Cleansing

Cayenne pepper is one of only four ingredients in the master cleanse or lemon cleanse, a ten-day protocol in which the body is safely purged of toxins and bacteria. The cayenne helps to heat the body, while no hot food is being consumed, and is said to break down toxicity and help the digestive tract to flush poisons out of the system.

For more details on this cleanse, see The Master Cleanse.

Reference

Woloshyn, Tom, The Complete Master Cleanse. Ulysses Press, Berkeley, CA, USA: 2007.

Cayenne or hot chili peppers

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