Cayenne Therapy Health Article

For consumers who seek the power of peppers but shy from the infernal heat, intense doses of capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers, come packaged as encapsulated chili powder and can be found shelved with nutritional supplements.

Boosters and some users of these hot little packages claim they can provide relief from aching joints, arthritis, backaches and fatigue. They also report that capsaicin reduces inflammation, strengthens heartbeat, stimulates the thyroid, improves circulation, lowers blood cholesterol, improves bladder control and aids digestion by stimulating gastric secretions and mucous membranes, which naturopaths say can also speed healing and relieve the symptoms of ulcers.

If that’s not enough, consider that capsaicin is widely credited with being a vasodilator, meaning that it increases the diameter of blood vessels. As such, capsaicin, report supplement users, helps to alleviate Raynaud’s disease (cold fingers and toes caused by poor circulation), migraine-headache attacks and even angina pectoris—chest pains associated with coronary artery disease.

Unfortunately, conventional medicine recognizes very few of these reported benefits, citing lack of scientific verification. Researchers have had positive results for up to five years in treating spastic bladder with "capsaicin instillations" into the bladder. Capsaicin is also the active ingredient in topical creams known to provide relief from itching associated with psoriasis and the pain common in osteoarthritis and neuropathies (nerve-related pain associated with conditions like diabetes and HIV). Besides over-the-counter low doses (0.025 to 0.075 percent capsaicin), the FDA has tentatively approved creams with capsaicin concentrations of up to 0.25 percent, available by prescription. Ongoing studies to test capsaicin’s usefulness in treating nerve pain associated with herpes and the pain experienced after mastectomy recognize the possible potential for capsaicin’s use, but by no means has capsaicin become a common prescription. Yet many naturopaths depend upon capsaicin supplements regularly.

With an average of 500 milligrams of cayenne per capsule, typical doses range between 40,000 and 100,000 "heat units" (HU), the same as Scoville units (Food chemists still use Scoville units, but newer and more objective methods are employed to measure capsaicin levels. Pure capsaicin scores a whopping 16,000,000 Scoville units.). Promotional materials claim that a dose of more than 3 grams (six 500-mg capsules) of cayenne is high enough to boost metabolism, the body’s ability to burn calories. In reality, the effect on metabolism is small, but the burn in the lower end of the esophagus (heartburn) could pose a big risk. High doses also can cause cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.

No known serious dangers from capsaicin supplements exist for pregnant or lactating women, but health professionals advise caution because of the possibility that cayenne will cause stomach and intestinal discomfort during pregnancy and spicy-flavored breast milk, unpalatable to a baby. The Drugdex® Drug Evaluation also cautions people using blood thinners (like Coumadin) and sedatives.

Most of the claims for capsaicin’s health benefits can be found on the Internet. A lively starting point is www.fiery-foods.com, which lists books, magazines and many other sources of information, including the latest on using capsaicin as a nontoxic deterrent in boat paint to keep barnacles away and in veterinary suture thread to stop pets from pulling out their stitches.

Defining the 3 Cs

Capsaicin (cap-SAY-uh-sin): The active ingredient in peppers, responsible for the burning sensation; present in both the fleshy part of the fruit and the seed.

Capsicum: The genus name of the chili pepper plant, derived from the Latin capsa, meaning "case," reflecting the shape of the fruit.

Cayenne: One type of pungent chili pepper. Also used to describe the powder extracted from the fruit and seeds of various small peppers that contain large amounts of capsaicin. Although named after Cayenne, a town in French Guiana, the powder comes from India, Africa, Mexico, China, Japan and Louisiana.

Resources

Healthy Tapas Recipes and Menus
Multi-Bean Chili
Heart Healthy Diet Recipes and Menus
Heart Healthy Diet Center