Cayenne

Botanical Name: Capsicum annum Common Name: Cayenne Similar Articles from Chris Kilham: Chiles, The Hottest Health Promoters

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Some Like It Hot!

The Pain-Relieving Chile Peppers

These days, everybody knows chile peppers, the fiery vegetables that make salsa, Thai food and Indian curries hot. But beyond their gustatory uses, these piquant vegetables offer pain relief of particular value to athletes whose workouts and injuries result in sore muscles and aching joints.

Known commonly as hot chiles and hot peppers, chiles originate from tropical and subtropical America. Until the late 1400’s chiles were not known outside of The New World. Native Americans used Capsicum species in their traditional medicine. The Cherokee employed Capsicum for colds and as a poultice for the feet. The Navajo and Ramah employed Capsicum topically on breasts to wean nursing children. Capsicum became part of the traditional medicine of India, China, Japan and Korea. Today Capscium appears in many Ayurvedic and Chinese pain balms. Today chiles are often commonly referred to a “cayenne” peppers.

How It Works
Due to their widespread culinary use and their long history as medicines, chiles have been investigated to a great extent. The substances that make chiles hot and provide medicinal benefit are a group of natural oleoresins called capsaicinoids. These substances account for between 0.1% - 1% of the total composition of a chile pepper. Of these compounds the hottest is capsaicin. Capsaicin was first discovered, isolated and named in 1876 in India by an Englishman named L.T. Thresh. The capsaicinoids stimulate blood circulation, and possess analgesic and antiseptic activity. The sensation of burning produced by the capsaicinoids is physiologically similar to the sensation of burning caused by heat or fire.

Chiles promote and protect health in numerous ways. In traditional US herbal folk medicine, chiles have been used to treat numerous disorders. From arthritis to asthma, colds to constipation, hemorrhoids to high blood pressure, lethargy to lumbago, and tonsillitis to toothache, chiles have played prominently in the formulas and practice of herbal medicine.

As researchers delve into chiles and their heat components the capsaicinoids, their studies show that many of the traditional folk uses of chiles as medicines can be understood by modern scientific means.

Headache – Chiles provide relief for some types of headaches, especially painful cluster headaches. It may be that in the instance of cluster headaches, consumption of chiles wears out the mechanism by which pain is transmitted. Some people take cayenne capsules for relief. These are found at health food stores under several brands. But you can also pour some hot sauce on food, or eat a chili-laden soup. How do you spell relief? H-O-T.

General pain – Though you may choose to reach for ibuprofen instead, chiles provide pretty good relief for pain. Chiles contain pain-alleviating salicylates, compounds found abundantly in the natural aspirin-like willow bark (which contains salicin) and wintergreen (which contains methylsalicylate). Aspirin itself is a salicylate-based drug, acetyl-salicylic acid. Remember, when you eat chiles, you also get a pleasant endorphin buzz going, which also helps to reduce pain. Instead of reaching for the Tylenol, try a habanero instead.

There is no established dose for chiles. Supplements labeled as “cayenne” will give label guidelines for use. Follow along, and discover your own dose for pain relief.

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