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JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2004 Chilli Capsicum minimum, C. fructescens
Continuing in the ‘Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food' (Hippocrates) series (See Ginger, Garlic and Turmeric) Written by Isla Burgess
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The Old Ways
Travelling recently in New Mexico I was stunned by the long lines of glistening red peppers, strung over doorways, filling small shops and hung like garlands along the fronts of vegetable and fruit stalls. In the past the colour and taste must have conveyed much to the people, red impacting on the blood and the hot taste, stimulating and heating. It would be very easy to come up with stimulating blood flow as one of its uses.
From Africa
The peppers are very small and likely to be a variety of C. fructescens. They have been used in medicine as a powerful stimulant and carminative as well as topically as a rubefacient to increase blood flow to the area. It was used in hair lotions to stimulate growth.
From Japan
Very pungent and highly esteemed for culinary use and of the C. fructescens species
From West Indies
Pepper seeds were dried and ground were mixed with flour, leavened with yeast, baked hard and powdered
From India
C. fructescens was used in neuralgic and rheumatic conditions as a stimulant
In Ayurveda it is called Marichi-phalam – fruit of the sun.
The New Ways
Chilli's are now grown all over the temperate world, with many subspecies of Mexican and Spanish chillies grown. They were indigenous to South America and the West Indies, the Spanish conquest is likely to have introduced them to the rest of the world.
They are used as medicine, in ointments and creams and in food from many countries. They vary in size and shape, colour and taste and number around 200 different species and subspecies.
They are known to contain alkaloids including capsaicin, a volatile oil and some flavonoids. The seeds contain carotene.
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What Plant?
From the Solanaceae family , C. annuum usually grows from 30cm to 1metre (1-3ft) and C. fructescens -a perennial grows up to 2metres (6ft).
The branches are brittle, leaves entire and oval shaped, the flowers typical of the family bearing five lobes, the fruit generally oblong, conical and vibrant red.
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What Part?
The fruit only is used.
How and When to use?
Cayenne can be used both internally and externally.
Internal use
Usually in food or in alcohol, vinegar or even an oil extract.
Cayenne tincture.
To 100gm of dried cayenne pods, ground, add 1 litre of 45% alcohol (90% proof) or Blue Label Vodka. This is a 1:10 preparation.
Cayenne oil
Just cover the dried and powdered pods with olive oil and leave for 4 weeks. Strain.
Cayenne vinegar
Prepare as for the oil covering it with organic apple cider vinegar
The cayenne tincture can be used as a rubbing alcohol to stimulate blood flow to an area. It is NOT to be used where there is swelling.
Internally it has the following actions
· Antispasmodic
· Diaphoretic – increases perspiration
· Carminative – relaxes sphincters to relieve any wind
· Circulatory stimulant
· Increases stomach acid
Topically the oil or tincture is
· Rubefacient – usually rubbed over an area to increase blood flow
· Counter-irritant – also increases local irritation with intention of bringing that flow to an underlying condition
· Antiseptic
· Anodyne – topically pain relieving
So this means internally we would use it for improving circulation and digestion.
Externally for neuralgia, chilblains and arthritic and rheumatic conditions. It is thought that the capsaicin exhausts the ‘substance P' fibers so that pain is reduced.
Lalitha Thomas in ‘10 Essential Herbs' gives anecdotal cases where cayenne has stopped internal bleeding, been used to treat shock and for caffeine withdrawal. She also says that in its cooked form it is irritating but in its raw form it is healing to mucous membranes.
For shock she suggests a few grains to a pinch on the tongue or mixed with water for babies to ˝ tsp for adults.
How To Prepare
Mucous reducing vinegar
To a quart or litre jar add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic, ˝ cup of grated horseradish root, a finely chopped onion, ˝ cup grated ginger, 2 pinched cayenne pepper pods, and top the jar with apple cider vinegar. Use a plastic lid to cover. Leave to infuse for 10 days. Strain.
Cayenne ointment
To 30 mls of Vitamin E cream mix in 15 mls of cayenne pepper tincture.
Cayenne/Garlic/Ginger drink Refer to Keeping the Plants Alive Garlic Oct/Nov 2001.
How Much To Use?
Tincture
5-10 drops 3 times daily.
Mucous reducing vinegar
1 tbsp 2 times daily
Safety
There are some considerations for cayenne. It could increase blood pressure in people who already have a raised reading (hypertension). It is not advised for people with peptic ulcers, or inflammatory bowel disease
Cayenne may increase the absorption of other medications.
It should not be used if people are taking ACE inhibitors or antacids.
Recent Research Reviews
Surprisingly there are not a large number of recent studies on cayenne and its therapeutic effects on people.
Mills and Bone discuss fully its effect on the C-fibres and the control of pain using a capsaicin cream. Symptom relief was gained in osteoparthritis, neuropathy, and post herpetic neuralgia. Other studies suggest it may be useful in the treatment of cluster headaches and phantom limb pain.5
1 Chilli and blood glucose
‘ Within 30 min after consumption of 5 g of Capsicum frutescens, plasma
glucose level during the absorption period was significantly inhibited.
The metabolic rate was also immediately increased after ingestion and
sustained up to 30 min.' 9
This adds to the actions of cayenne as having a role to play in both Type 2 diabetes and general and pre-menstrual hypoglycemia. It could also be considered in weight loss programmes.
2. Chilli and Leukemia
Although this is in vitro research and used capsaicin extract, it is never the less interesting.
Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is resistant to conventional chemotherapy.
‘Capsaicin treatment inhibited the growth of ATL cells both in dose- and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect was mainly due to the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.' 10
3. Capsaicin and Pruritis ani
Again the trial was on capsaicin but again I found the subject matter interesting.
This was a randomised, placebo controlled, crossover study using topical capsaicin--a novel and effective treatment for idiopathic intractable pruritus ani. The results indicated that Capsaicin is a new, safe, and highly effective treatment for severe intractable idiopathic pruritus ani. 11
4. Cayenne, Green tea and Cancer
‘At a ratio of 25 parts green tea concentrate to 1 part
Capsicum preparation, the resultant product exhibited efficacy in the
killing of cancer cells in culture 100-times that of green tea on a
weight basis.' 12
5. Peppers and anti-oxidant activity
‘ Hot peppers are a good source of dietary antioxidants, encompassing,
apart from widespread compounds (flavonoids, phenolic acids,
carotenoids, vitamin A, ascorbic acid, tocopherols), also specific
constituents such as the pungent capsaicinoids (capsaicin,
dihydrocapsaicin, and related analogues). We have shown that capsinoids
also show remarkable antioxidant activity.' 13
6. How active are they?
‘The relative antioxidant activities decreased in the order of cloves, cinnamon, pepper, garlic, mint and onion. Spice mix namely ginger, onion and garlic; onion and ginger; ginger and garlic showed cumulative inhibition of lipid peroxidation thus exhibiting their synergistic antioxidant activity.15
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6. Chilli peppers and their anti-microbial activity
‘The plain and heated extracts were found to exhibit varying degrees of inhibition against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium sporogenes, Clostridium tetani, and Streptococcus pyogenes.' 14
7. Chilli and pain
There are a number of studies listed on its effect on reducing pain.
They include people with neuropathies, especially diabetic neuropathies. 17
‘Chilli powder …. increases the rectal threshold for pain in
healthy men.'15
Recent Statistics
In the 1930's India is estimated to have produced 8,500 tons.
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References
1. Sharma PV, Classical Uses of Medicinal Plants, Chaukhambha Bharati Academy, Varanasi, 1996.
2. Fisher C, Painter G. Materia Medica of Western Herbs for the Southern Hemisphere. C Fisher G Painter 1996.
3. Swahn JO. The Lore of Spices Nordbok, 1991.
4. Lad V, Frawley D. Yoga of Herbs, Lotus press, Santa Fe, N.M.,1986.
5. Mills S, Bone K. The Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. Churchill Livingston 2000.
6. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions.3rd Edition. Eclectic Medical Publications, USA, 2001.
7. Surh YJ. Anti-tumor promoting potential of selected spice ingredients with antioxidative and anti-inflammatoryactivities: a short review.Food Chem Toxicol 2002 Aug;40(8):1091
8. Surh YJ, Lee E, Lee JM. Chemoprotective properties of some pungent
ingredients present in red pepper and ginger. Muutat Res 1998 Jun 18;402(1-2):259-67
9. Chaiyata P, Puttadechakum S, Komindr S. Effect of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) ingestion on plasma glucose response and metabolic rate in Thai women.J Med Assoc Thai. 2003 Sep;86(9):854-60.
10. Zhang J, Nagasaki M, Tanaka Y, Morikawa S. Capsaicin inhibits growth of adult T-cell leukemia cells. Leuk Res. 2003 Mar;27(3):275-83.
11. Lysy J, Sistiery-Ittah M, Israelit Y, Shmueli A, Strauss-Liviatan N,
Mindrul V, Keret D, Goldin E. Topical capsaicin--a novel and effective treatment for idiopathic intractable pruritus ani. Gut. 2003 Sep;52(9):1323-6
12. Morre DJ, Morre DM. Synergistic Capsicum-tea mixtures with anticancer activity J Pharm Pharmacol. 2003 Jul;55(7):987-94.
13 Rosa A, Deiana M, Casu V, Paccagnini S, Appendino G, Ballero M, Dessi
MA. Antioxidant activity of capsinoids J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Dec 4;50(25):7396-401.
14. Cichewicz RH, Thorpe PA.The antimicrobial properties of chile peppers (Capsicum species) and their uses in Mayan medicine.J Ethnopharmacol. 1996 Jun;52(2):61-70.
15. Shobana S, Naidu KA Antioxidant activity of selected Indian spices. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2000 Feb;62(2):107-10.
16. Agarwal MK, Bhatia SJ, Desai SA, Bhure U, Melgiri S. Effect of red chillies on small bowel and colonic transit and rectal sensitivity in men with irritable. bowel syndrome Indian J Gastroenterol. 2002 Sep-Oct;21(5):179-82.
17. Werback MR, Murray MT. Botanical Influences on Illness. Third Line Press, 1994.
Reflections
It is so important to wash your hands after using any topical preparation of
Cayenne. I remember the case of a patient who placed both her vaginal cream and cayenne cream for her arthritic elbow in the fridge. She put the wrong cream in the wrong place and ended up one very hot woman. Thinking that a shower would relieve the burning (it makes it worse), I can't imagine how it would feel. If it ever happens, yoghurt is the best antidote.
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