Spicy cayenne peppers have long been a part of traditional cuisines and are regularly used as a health remedy in many lands…what do they know that we don’t? Cayenne peppers are packed with vitamins and nutrients that aid health. You might be surprised to learn the reasons you should add chili peppers to your daily diet and health routine.
Almost everyone is familiar with cayenne peppers, as they feature widely in popular cuisines. These spicy peppers, also known as Capsicum annuum, are part of the Capsicum genus of plants. Other peppers, such as jalapeños, bell peppers, and New Mexico chile peppers are in the same plant family.
Technically, long, tapered, bright red cayenne peppers are the fruits of a small shrub that grows abundantly in the Americas, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world.
Cayenne’s active ingredient, capsaicin, adds a delicious spicy kick to recipes and also provides numerous health benefits. We can gain these benefits by adding cayenne peppers and cayenne pepper powder to our meals, and by taking cayenne pepper powder as a supplement.
To study the health benefits of cayenne, a cohort study, undertaken from 1988-1994 (results published in 2017), followed a specific group of people over time. The results of the study showed that people who eat cayenne live longer (that is, are less likely to die for any reason!) than those who do not eat cayenne!
Why Add Cayenne Pepper To Your Daily Diet?
So, what is it about this amazing cayenne superfood that makes it so healthy?
These brightly colored peppers contain a variety of vitamins, such as Vitamins C, B, A, and K. These vitamins each contribute to improved health. Eating cayenne with its active ingredient capsaicin, can provide the following natural benefits:
1. Anti-Inflammatory
Capsaicin, contained in cayenne is anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is at the root of many serious ailments, so it’s amazing that cayenne can naturally reduce inflammation!
When this natural plant chemical is added to a topical cream and applied to inflamed joints and muscles, the results are impressive. Capsaicin, with its heating influence, aids in blood flow to the inflamed area. This helps the needed nutrients to reach the areas in question and speed up healing. When inflammation is reduced, pain is also reduced.
2. Immune-Boosting
Cayenne contains vitamins, such as Vitamin A, plus Vitamins E, C, and K – all of which are great for boosting the immune system. Cayenne’s antioxidant qualities help fight free radicals that damage the immune system.
3. Heart Healthy
Capsaicin in cayenne is a vasodilator. It keeps blood vessels open so that blood can flow through them easily. This helps regulate blood pressure and reduce the possibility of heart attack or stroke.
If you suspect a heart attack or stroke and are waiting for treatment, drink down a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper in one cup of hot water. This is one of the best natural remedies to use in an emergency, so it’s a good idea to keep cayenne capsules or cayenne extract on hand.
Cayenne is high in potassium, which is well known to help regulate heartbeat. By promoting smooth blood flow to the heart, cayenne also reduces the occurrence of blood clots.
Interestingly, many people who take cayenne regularly for heart health experience one happy side effect. After 6 months to one year of regular use, they notice improvements in their vision! Taking cayenne increases blood flow to all parts of the body, including the eyes (see #9 below for more details on eye health improvement with cayenne).
4. Heals Ulcers
You may think that cayenne and spicy food cause ulcers, but we now know that both gastric and peptic ulcers are caused by the presence of H.pylori bacteria.
Taking cayenne pepper regularly as a supplement eliminates h.pylori, soothing and repairing stomach tissue.
5. Aids Digestion
Cayenne also helps promote the proper amount of gastric juices to ease digestion and eliminate bloating.
6. Helps Respiratory Ailments
Capsaicin in cayenne stimulates mucous production and helps clear out clogged mucous membranes. This is beneficial to those with asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory ailments. Cayenne works to treat both the upper and lower respiratory tracts.
7. Pain Reliever
Pain relief is one of cayenne pepper’s greatest health benefits. The capsaicin in cayenne has a nearly miraculous ability to block pain receptors in the brain. The pain experienced with shingles, arthritis, and neuropathy is quickly relieved by the use of capsaicin creams and ointments.
With topical use, you’ll feel heat in the area, but cayenne does not burn tissue regardless of how it seems!
8. Detox For Health
Your kidneys and liver are tasked with keeping your body free of toxins. Doing a cleansing fast for a short period is great for helping take the load off these important organs. The chemical soup of toxins that humans are exposed to daily can overload our bodies. Enter the famous lemon-cayenne “master cleanse” for detoxing the body!
The Master Cleanse was promoted in the 1940’s by Stanley Burroughs. He determined that a cleansing fast using cayenne pepper, lemon juice, maple syrup, and water effectively clears out toxins. For decades people have been successfully cleansing their bodies using his protocol.
Although some modern medicine journals discount the benefits of a cleansing fast, the evidence is quite to the contrary – you can decide for yourself!
The Master Cleanse suggests that you ease into the fast by eating a clean diet for 3 days before starting the fast and then easing out at the end. During the fast, you support detoxing by also taking a mild laxative or by drinking salt water to flush away toxins. It’s all explained in the Master Cleanse protocol.
One of the goals and by-products of doing a lemon juice-cayenne cleanse is that you’ll lose weight. However, doing a cleansing fast with cayenne pepper is never suggested as a permanent diet, or even that it should be done often – no extremes! Although you should see a drop in weight after the cleanse, for the weight loss to stick, you’ll need to change your diet to primarily fresh, whole foods.
If you’re not up for a fasting cleanse, you can try adding Dr. Josh Axe’s “Secret Detox Drink” drink recipe to your diet. His drink includes lemon, ginger, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and other herbs. He only suggests a dash of cayenne per glass of juice, but it’s a great cleansing recipe to use regularly.
9. Vision Improvement
Superfood cayenne has gained worldwide notice as a remedy for weak eyes and to improve vision. One proponent of cayenne for vision is the legendary herbalist and naturopath, Dr. Christopher. He had years of experience treating vision issues and developed an herbal eye drop formula that includes cayenne powder along with other eye-improving herbs. His experience showed that vision can improve with increased dilation of blood vessels to the eye from cayenne pepper.
Yes, the sensation feels like burning, and your eyes will water and flush, but cayenne does not burn eye tissue! Afterwards, your eyes will be more clear and vibrant. Continued use of Dr. Christopher’s eye drops and tablets helps overall eye health, plus can reduce cataracts, glaucoma, and eye floaters.
The protocol suggests taking tablets internally (Bright Eyes and Bilberry Eye supplements) along with Eye Bright drops in the eyes.
IMPORTANT Note: The eye drops are not put directly into the eyes!! They are designed to be diluted in warm water and used via glass eye cups, as per instructions that come with the liquid eye drops – PLEASE read carefully and follow instructions!
It’s great to keep a natural substance that has many healthful applications on hand. If you buy cayenne powder in bulk, rather than in little spice bottles, you’ll save so much money! Try buying a one-pound bag of organic cayenne powder, to use as a supplement and also in your everyday cooking.
Conclusion
Cayenne powder has so many fantastic uses for health! This underrated and often misunderstood super-spice has been used for thousands of years for well-being. It’s a great herbal remedy to keep on hand for emergencies, pain, and digestion.
Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only. Any material herein is the expressed opinion of the authors and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment, nor has it been evaluated by any regulatory agency. All use of information herein is solely at the risk and discretion of the reader. Have a blog? This post is for sale. Contact us.