Cayenne pepper is obviously one of the best options for all hot pepper lovers. Cayenne peppers commonly find their use for several culinary purposes, maybe as fresh peppers or in dried and powdered forms. However, apart from the culinary uses, there are also a lot of medical uses of cayenne pepper. Read below to know about some of the noted medical uses of cayenne pepper. Kindly consult your doctor before using cayenne pepper for treating any kind of health issue.
15 Medical Uses of Cayenne Pepper:
Cayenne pepper is regarded as the prince of spices and is also known to add a touch of zest and spice to your dishes. The spiciness of cayenne pepper comes from Capsaicin, a substance popularly known as chilli pepper.
Cayenne pepper is loaded with anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anti-allergen and anti-irritant properties and is thus known to have a lot of medical uses. Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, manganese etc are present in cayenne peppers which are all good for health. Below we will take a look on some of the medical uses of cayenne pepper.
-
Cayenne Pepper for Heart Health:
Cayenne pepper is known to be effective in reducing symptoms of several heart diseases. One of the most known medicinal uses of Cayenne pepper is its benefits in reducing heart attack. Cayenne pepper encourages fibrinolytic activity and thus aids in reducing blood clots; which in turn assists in reducing heart attack. It is known that the capsaicin present in the cayenne pepper is essential in reducing blood clots and effective in treating heart attacks.
-
Cayenne Pepper for Digestive System:
Cayenne pepper is known to be a well known digestive aid which stimulates the digestive tract, increasing the flow of enzyme production and gastric juices. This helps the body’s ability to metabolize food and toxins. Cayenne pepper is also beneficial in relieving intestinal gas.
-
Cayenne Pepper for Circulatory System:
Cayenne pepper is an excellent food for the circulatory system as it feeds the elements in to the cell structure of the arteries, veins and capillaries so that they regain the elasticity of youth again and the blood pressure gets adjusted itself to normal.
Moreover, cayenne pepper regulates the blood flow from the head to the feet so that the pressure is equalized and it influences the heart immediately, then it gradually extends its effects to the arteries, capillaries and various nerves.
Cayenne pepper aids in equalizing the blood pressure in the arterial and the venous system and this actually equalizes the blood pressure instantly.
-
Cayenne Pepper as Anti-Bacterial Agent:
Cayenne pepper has a wonderful anti-bacterial property which makes its beneficial in preventing an infection, when you are injured. As per The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, it is noted that cayenne peppers fight infection and inflammation. Apart from this, it is also reported by the University of Maryland Medical Center that the Capsaicin present in cayenne pepper offers, an effective treatment for ear infection.
-
Cayenne Pepper as Metabolism Booster:
It is also known that you can lose weight by enhancing your body’s metabolism when you include cayenne peppers in your diet. The university of Maryland Medical Center points to human and animal studies that indicate the capsaicin present in these cayenne peppers influences the amount of heat the body puts off.
-
Migraine Headache Prevention Through Cayenne Pepper:
Cayenne pepper is also known to be beneficial in treating or reducing migraine headache. This may be associated to the pepper’s ability to stimulate a pain response in a different portion of the body and thus diverting the brain’s attention to the new site. Following this initial pain reaction, the nerve fibers have a depleted substance P or the nerve’s pain chemical and the perception of pain is reduced.
-
Cayenne Pepper as a Pain Relief:
Capsaicin present in cayenne pepper gives them the ability of pain relief when consumed. When you take cayenne pepper with any pain in the body, the capsaicin present in the pepper interrupts the transmission of pain messaging to the brain. Though the injury may still hurt, but the body does not recognize or acknowledge the pain. It is known that capsaicin from cayenne peppers is added to the gels and creams, when applied to the skin, effect pain relief.
-
Cayenne Pepper as Prostate Cancer Fighter:
It is believed that cayenne peppers may specifically benefit men, especially in reducing prostate cancer. Researchers from California and Tokyo offered evidence that capsaicin present in cayenne pepper causes cell death or apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. Thus, they theorized that the capsaicin in cayenne pepper may find use in the prevention or in treatment of prostate cancer.
-
Weight Loss Benefits of Cayenne Pepper:
Cayenne pepper is also believed to be useful in weight loss. Scientists at the Laval University in Quebec found that participants who took cayenne pepper in their breakfast were found to have less appetite, leading to less intake of calorie throughout the day. This benefit in reducing weight. Moreover, cayenne is also a great metabolic booster and helps the body in burning excess fat.
-
Cayenne Pepper Promotes Longevity:
It is found from a study done from half a million people, that those who eat spicy foods have a 14% chance of living longer than those who do not take spicy foods. So it is possible that cayenne pepper promotes longevity actually.
-
Cayenne Pepper for Sore Throat:
Cayenne pepper is also known to aid clear sore throats. You need to mix cayenne pepper while gargling with water. This actually aids in quick recovery from sore throat.
-
Skin Health:
There is one more medical use of cayenne pepper, which is its benefit towards skin health. Cayenne pepper help you achieve flawless skin and aids in fighting against acne by increasing the blood flow to the skin. Being loaded with vitamin C, vitamin e, and many anti-oxidants cayenne pepper increases the health of the epidermis and the skin. It is noted that taking cayenne pepper twice in a day has shown to result in a considerable reduction in acne on the skin.
-
Cayenne Pepper Relieves Joint and Muscle Pain:
We already know that capsaicin found in cayenne pepper exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect that aids in reducing pain and inflammation.
It also prevents the activation of brain’s pain transmitters which in turn helps in reducing the feeling of pain. So, maybe it is achy joints or tender muscles, cayenne pepper is known to be highly effective.
It is recommended by health experts that OTC creams and ointments containing between 0.025 and 0.075% of purified capsaicin is beneficial in relieving pain and tenderness from osteoarthritis, joint pain because of arthritis, pain after surgery, leg pain from diabetic neuropathy and even back pain.
-
Cayenne Pepper Supports Detoxification:
Cayenne pepper is also known to support detoxification which in turn safeguards the body from diseases and enhances optimum health. Detoxification helps the liver and gall bladder to get rid of harmful toxins in the body.
You can mix the juice of one lemon, ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder and raw honey in a glass of warm water and drink the solution on an empty stomach regularly for about seven days and repeat the same after a month. This helps in detoxification.
-
Other Medical Uses of Cayenne Pepper:
There are some other medical uses of cayenne pepper which are mentioned below.
- Cayenne pepper is known to be effective against anorexia, vascular troubles, liver congestion etc.
- It is known to be effective in treating heartburn
- Cayenne pepper eases toothache; protects the teeth from rotting and also stimulates the gums enough to prevent pyorrhea when rubbed on the gums.
- It is helpful for atonic gut, in dropsy, paralysis, in tympanitis and in the debilitated stages of fever.
- Cayenne pepper is also beneficial in treating flatulence, dyspepsia, etc.
Conclusion:
So now we are aware of some of the effective medical uses of cayenne pepper. It is now obvious that you must add this in to your diet and gain good health and life in a natural way. Kindly consult with doctor and take the effective medical treatments in case of any disease or ill health condition.