Notes on Cayenne

CAYENNE - Capsicum sp. Paprika, Piment, Poivre de Cayenne, Red Pepper, Spanischer Pfeffer. Russian: Perets Stroochkovii. The herb is used to kill pain. Haemostatic, styptic, errhine, local stimulant. It is used in liniments. Peppers are grown in Baja California. Cayenne is a spice which should not be used if a person is infected with a systemic fungus.

C. baccatum (C. annuum, frutescens). Bulgarian: Piperki. Russian: Perets Ovoshchnoi. Ardei, Bird Pepper, Cahúas, Capsicum, Cherry Pepper, Chica, Chile, Chile Rojo, Chili, Chili Pepper, Chillies, Chillipiquin, Chiltepín, Chiltipiquin, Cica, Cica Pepper, Dama de Noche, Étkezési Paprika, Galán de Noche, Galán de Tarde, Guinea Pepper, Hierba Hedionda, Hot Pepper, Hule de Noche, Jessamine, Mpilipili, Mpilipili Hoho, Night Blooming Cestrum, Palo Hedionda, Paprica, Paprika, Paprika Korv*eninova', Paprika Ovocna', Paprika Rocv*na', Papryka Jednoro'czne, Paradicsompaprika, Peperone, Peperoncino, Piment Commun, Pimentão, Pimento, Pimiento, Pipere, Pipiloxihuitl, Poivron, Red Chile, Red Pepper, Reina de la Noche, Spaanse Peper, Spansk Peber, Spansk Peppar, Spanskpepper, Spec, Sweet Peppers, Turkinpippuri. Seri: Coquee caacol "large chiles", Coquee coil "green chile", Coquee quitajij "pointed chiles", Coquee quizil "little chiles". Diné: Azeetitciilitchiiikiih "peppery red medicine". Warihio: Chiltepin. Has pharmacological properties. The sweet varieties of peppers are used in green salads or stuffed with meat and cooked. The small chilis are an important condiment. They are used as flavoring and for making hot sauces and pickles. The pungent taste is caused by a potent volatile alkaloid, capsaicin. The dry fruit also contains capicin, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids, and red coloring material. The pod placenta is especially hot. The fruit is rich in Vitamins A and C. The natives cut all the fruiting branches and dry them in the house. After they are somewhat dry, they flail them to remove the fruit, which is piled in the sun to finish drying. Gather them in the fall. To make salsa, crush red peppers with ripe tomatoes on the metate. The sauce is used on meat and beans. Soak the fruit in water to make relish. The small chilis can be pickled in vinegar. The peppers, ground, are used as seasoning, and act as a food preservative. They serve to preserve unrefrigerated meat for a time. Many cultures have used cayenne as a food preservative because they have no refrigerators. This serves to protect people from serious infections and even death. In Malaysia, fish soup is highly seasoned with cayenne. This is because fish is especially perishable, and if it is to be safe to eat for more than a few hours, then it must be preserved. In order to have an adequate food supply, fishermen must be able to preserve their catch; it is not economically feasible to catch only as much fish as can be eaten fresh.

The fruit is stimulant, stomachic, antiseptic, and aromatic. Taken internally as a heart tonic, the peppers regulate the heart muscle, stimulate circulation, correct fibrillation and palpitation, strengthen the circulatory system, clean out clogged arteries and veins, and normalize blood pressure. I used cayenne by eating salsa twice a week, and lowered my cholesterol from 220 to 160 in only six months. The peppers serve to prevent and treat shock, including in heart attack. If you put red pepper in a wound, it will stop the blood flow and draw the sides of the wound together. I have used it in this manner when I did not have the opportunity to have a wound stitched. Since most people have some cayenne in their cupboard, it is easy to get it in an emergency situation. It will burn like fury for a little while, but it works! To stop an internal hemorrhage in 30 seconds, mix one tsp. of powdered Cayenne or 24 drops of tincture in a glass of water as hot as you can take it, and drink. I sometimes carry cayenne in my car for internal use in case of auto accident which results in serious injury leading to internal bleeding. It could save a life, and help prevent the need for a blood transfusion, and also the risk of contracting AIDS. Eaten in moderation, the fruit is good for digestion. An excess can be poisonous. The peppers control gas and upset stomach in digestive formulas. They are used in dyspepsia, atonic diarrhea and meteorism. They help mucous congestion in colds, flu, bronchitis, and respiratory problems. They are very good for the mucous membranes and as a gargle for ulcerated sore throat. They are used as a cleanser, to warm arthritic body parts, for lower back and rheumatic pain, to fight infection, as a stimulating compress, and an antiseptic wash. They are also a good central nervous system catalyst and are useful in pulmonary disorders. This plant was used for Cachexia Africana, also known as cynanche maligna, a fatal African disease. Rubifacient. Externally, the fruit is used against neuralgia and muscular rheumatism. The chilis are used as capsules, tincture, gargle, compress, and wash. Take .5 [grams] of the powder three times a day; of the tincture, 1 cc every 4 hours.

Cayenne is an important thermogenic herb. It is used to help stimulate the metabolism to burn fat. It is being used by bodybuilders and in weight loss formulas. I have used it this way extensively. It is good in combination with other thermogenic herbs, chromium picolinate, L-carnitine, and for older people, DHEA. L-carnitine is an amino acid derived from red meat. It is made up of two simpler amino acids which also occur mainly in red meat. Cayenne is also good to help provide older people with energy so that they can get adequate exercise and stay healthy. It has been discovered that weightlifting in older people significantly reduces the risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture. I practice weightlifting because it helps me strengthen muscles and tendons, and helps prevent joint dislocation, a problem to which I am particularly prone, and which once had the effect of making it impossible for me to walk for several months. Cayenne has been significant in nutritional support of my exercise program. I am discovering some information that leads me to believe that arthritis may result from chronic dislocation of joints. The alternative to a strength training program is repeated visits to an osteopath knowledgeable in low velocity manipulation, which gets very expensive. Strength training is much cheaper. Thermogenic herbs also help me tolerate cold weather.

Some information I have found indicates that extensive consumption of cayenne over a period of years can lead to stomach cancer. Kerry Brasswel, who is a knowledgeable person of my own acquaintance, and the author of one of the books in my bibliography, told me in a private conversation that this problem is not due to the cayenne itself, but to impurities. Kerry uses cayenne daily in the supplements she gives her prize Arab horses, and also uses it particularly when they require surgery. It greatly speeds recovery time and helps prevent complications.

If a person experiences intestinal distress from using cayenne, it is possible to build up a tolerance by starting with a small dose and slowly increasing it. It is also possible to build up a tolerance for the taste. If a person eats salsa and wants to cool his tongue, both tomato juice and milk will help considerably.

Unfortunately, some people do not tolerate cayenne well. Some of my family members have this problem. I am looking for a solution because this is such an important tonic herb.

Cayenne sprinkled on the floor or countertop will help keep ants away.

The peppers cause distress in pickers. They are dried and used as ornaments, which can later be used for cooking.

Chile peppers are started in pots. They require frequent irrigation. Mulching and basin planting help. They are frost sensitive. They will cross pollinate. Varieties include Chile de Arbol, Chile Negro, Pico de Gallo "rooster's beak", Sandia, Pima Bajo Indian, Tarahumara Indian, Texas, Tohono O'odham Indian, and Warihio Indian. C. annuum var. aviculare: Chiltepine. These plants should be started inside because they grow slowly. In cooler climates they are grown in containers. C. stramoniifolium.

Cayenne frutescens (Capsicum f.?): Cayenne Pepper, Bird Pepper, Chile Piquin, Chillipiquin. This is a condiment used in salads, vegetables, and sauces.

C. minimum, exotic. This plant is good for neuralgia. The fruits are used for genital scabies, granular endometritis, and epithelioma.