Cayenne - Heart & Cardiovascular Support

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Cayenne - Heart & Cardiovascular Support JoAnn Guest May 14, 2005 15:27 PDT

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The pharmacology of cayenne pepper centres on its capsaicin content.

The carotene molecules of cayenne pepper and paprika exert powerful

antioxidant effects.

Cardiovascular effects- Cayenne pepper exerts a number of beneficial

effects on the cardiovascular system.

 

In addition to possessing excellent antioxidant compounds, studies

have shown that cayenne pepper reduces the likelihood of developing

atherosclerosis by reducing blood cholesterol and triglyceride

levels.

In addition, it reduces platelet aggregation and increases

" fibrinolytic " activity.

 

Cultures consuming large amounts of cayenne pepper have a much lower

rate of heart and cardiovascular disease.

 

Hot peppers are similar to other vegetables in this regard and lose

many of their fiery properties when heated, however, don't stop

making that four-alarm chili.

 

Red-hot Mexican dishes and fiery Szechuan Chinese foods have

wonderful antioxidants and anti-cancer agents! If sprinkling the

powder on your foods, however, avoid inhaling it and keep the powder

away from your eyes as they can seriously irritate the mucous

membranes.

 

The common names include Hot pepper, cayenne, chili pepper, African

pepper, Tabasco pepper, Louisiana long or short pepper, guinea

pepper, bird pepper, capsicum, green and red bell pepper, paprika

and pimento.

 

Effective against diabetic foot pain and neuropathy, arthritis,

cluster headaches and heart problems and is a superior aid to

digestion sprinkled on food, eaten raw or cooked; or taken as a

tea.

 

Dr. John R. Christopher, one of the 20th centuries most famous

herbalists said... " this spice can be used on a daily basis and as a

" circulatory stimulant " that feeds and nourishes the heart muscle! "

 

Often you will see herbal formulas containing hawthorn berry and

cayenne that are beneficial for the arteries and heart.

 

In a formula such as this, the cayenne acts as a stimulant for the

Hawthorne Berry, " directing " it, and, sometimes,giving it ADDED power as

it COURSES towards the heart!

 

 

Dr. John Heinerman says... " there seems to be a biochemical synergism

of some kind between the fiery properties of *capsaicin* in the red

pepper and the antibacterial ascorbic acid in citrus fruits.

 

I recommend 3 capsules of cayenne pepper with a glass of freshly

squeezed orange juice in the morning. "

 

Apparently this combination is helpful for clearing away existing heart

and artery deposits.

 

Defining the perfect dose!

 

Feel free to sprinkle cayenne pepper over your foods or take it as a

supplement. To take it as a supplement, place a pinch (approx. 1/8

of a tsp.) into several ounces of warm water. Drink this upon

arising or with your morning meal. Not only will you be doing your

heart a favor, but you will also feel a surge of circulation and

warmth throughout your body. And where there is circulation, there

will be HEALING!

Note: Be sure to obtain organic varieties for Spices currently

undergo irradiation!

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" Capsicum " - Therapeutic Herb

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Cayenne pepper in the field of western herbalism is considered a

cure-all! It acts as a diaphoretic, antiseptic, tonic, rubefacient,

carmative, anti-asthmatic, pain reliever, sialagugue, and is a

powerful immune stimulant! Cayenne is widely used as a catalyst or

potentiator in herbal formulas.

It has antibacterial and antifungal effects and stimulates kidney

enzyme activity.

 

Cayenne can lower cholesterol levels, thin the blood, normalize

blood pressure, and fight fatigue! It facilitates the whole

digestive process as uncooked Cayenne is not irritating to the digestive

system.

 

It may surprise you to learn that Cayenne is used as a herb in its

dry powdered form. Only when it is cooked, is it a major irritant to

the digestive tract.

 

The adverse effects of prescription drugs and their rally recalls

the words of Sir Francis Bacon, " Cure the disease, kill the

patient. "

 

Cayenne, used internally or externally is renowned for it's

ability to " aid " circulation.

 

One study found that half of all heart patients were nutritionally

deficient. It is important to remember that the herb Cayenne is a

food is that is is capable of nourishing our heart.

 

In the book " Capsicum " written by Dr. John Christopher,many

different varieties of Cayenne pepper have been studied for their

medicinal benefits.

Of all the varieties studied, African Birdseyepeppers

were

found to retain heat in the body longer than any other variety,

therefore producing longer lasting health benefits.

 

The heat of the various varieties of peppers is measured in units

called Scoville units.

From the green bell pepper with a Scoville rating of -0-, the

peppers are ranked up through the Habanero or Scotch Bonnet peppers with

heat ratings of several hundred thousand Scoville units, or the hottest

peppers known to man.

 

Cayenne appears to be a therapeutic herb for many ailments.

 

Researchers at West Virginia University and Loma Linda University

school of medicine found that Cayenne even protects against

cancer.

Capsaicin prevents the liver from *turning* certain compounds

such as " aflatoxins " , found in peanut butter, into carcinogens.

 

In Great Britain and Japan, researchers found that Cayenne can cause

the body to burn up to 25% more calories in a day than it normally

would.

 

A recent Japanese patent claims that Cayenne " alkaloids " are

effective for treatment of liver disease.

 

Key Uses of Cayenne Pepper-

Oral: Antioxidant Support Atherosclerosis

Diabetic neuropathy Cluster headaches

Arthritis Psoriasis

pain disorders asthma

 

" The Healing Power of Herbs "

Michael T. Murray. N.D.

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CAYENNE

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http://www.herbsfirst.com/NewsLetters/0299cayenne.html

 

A farmer used to give Cayenne to his chickens and cows when they were

ailing, but never to the children when they were sick. One of the sons

said, " We were worth more to him than those animals! He should have

given it to us, too. " Dr. Christopher assured us that

 

Cayenne is one of the greatest herbs of all time-though it is also one

of the most misunderstood and ridiculed. He said that every home should

have a good supply of Cayenne pepper.

 

When only a young man in his thirties, Dr. Christopher was told by the

medical doctors that he could not live past his fortieth year because of

arthritis, hardening of arteries, stomach ulcers, and some automobile

accidents that had damaged him rather badly.

 

He was so concerned that he started using Cayenne, working up to a

teaspoon taken three times a day. By the time he was forty-five years

old, he was working in a business wherein the group wanted him to have a

$100,000 insurance policy because of the importance of the business

deal.

 

Because it was such a large policy, the company required the examination

to be given by two medical doctors, each to examine twice.

At the end of one of these physicals, one of the doctors said, " This is

astounding! You have the venous structure of a teenage boy, at

forty-five years of age! "

 

The other doctor kept pumping up his blood pressure equipment over and

over again, repeating the blood pressure check. Dr. Christopher began to

be perturbed, and asked him if the equipment was broken. " it always has

worked up till now, but I keep looking at your chart, which says you are

forty-five years old, and yet your systolic over your diastolic is

absolutely perfect.

I cannot comprehend it. "

 

Dr. Christopher assured him that it was indeed perfect, and he

attributed this clean bill of health to Cayenne.

 

However, Dr. Christopher needed to be converted to the use of Cayenne.

When he was attending the Herbal College in Canada, the teacher

announced that they were going to study Cayenne.

" Why Cayenne? " asked Dr. Christopher. " It will burn the lining out of

the stomach. "

" Where did you get your information, " asked the teacher, Dr. Nowell.

" Oh, my mother told me, " answered Dr. Christopher.

 

Everybody in the class laughed-except the teacher and Dr. Christopher.

 

Dr. Nowell took Dr. Christopher around Vancouver and introduced him to

over a dozen people whose lives had been saved with Cayenne--people with

heart troubles, ulcers, asthma, and many other ailments.

 

Wherever they went, the people were full of gratitude for being taught

about Cayenne, and from then on Dr. Christopher was sold on it.

 

While Dr. Christopher was working in the business world, he was taking

Cayenne, and on one business trip, he was traveling with an athlete, a

man who had a black belt in karate and who was, in Dr. Christopher's

words, " a husky little guy. " Yet he came from a family with a history of

high blood pressure, and his uncle had died of varicosity. He was under

the care of a doctor at the time.

 

Every morning, Dr. Christopher would take a spoonful of Cayenne in a

glassful of water, followed by a few tablespoonfuls of wheat germ oil.

The young man wanted to know what Dr. Christopher was taking and wanted

to try some. " You're probably too chicken, " Dr. Christopher told him!

This reverse psychology worked; Dr. Christopher noticed that his Cayenne

was disappearing gradually.

 

When they returned from the trip, the man continued taking Cayenne, one

teaspoonful three times a day. The doctor was astonished at the young

man's next checkup--after a lifetime of high blood pressure, he now had

a clean bill of health.

 

Once a child was shot in the abdomen; a bullet hit the spine,

ricocheted, and made a second wound leaving the body. One of Dr.

Christopher's herbal students, living next door, heard the shot and

raced over, as she knew that the parents were not home and that the

children, ages eight and four, would not be shooting guns. There was the

eight-year-old gushing blood out both sides.

She ran to the cabinet and mixed a tablespoonful of cayenne in a glass

of water; she poured it down the boy and immediately called the

ambulance, which was eighteen miles away. The emergency room attendant

said that the boy would probably bleed to death, being that the distance

was so great. The ambulance arrived and rushed the child (who had been

playing " Cops and Robbers " with his father's pistol, which he had found

under the pillow of the bed, to the Primary Children's Hospital eighteen

miles away.

 

When he arrived, he was the center of attraction, not because his case

was so dangerous, but because he was chatting a mile a minute--and there

was not bleeding. The bleeding had stopped by the time they arrived at

the hospital. The chief doctor said to the parents, " I have seen many

accident victims in my life, but this is the first time in such an

emergency operation that I have opened an abdomen to find no blood,

except for a small amount that was there before the bleeding stopped so

quickly. This has saved your boy's life. "

 

In that same year, Dr. Christopher treated four other gunshot victims,

and each case responded the same, although sometimes the blood

coagulates and comes out in clumps before it stops completely. By the

time you count to ten, however, the heavy bleeding should stop

completely after administering Cayenne.

 

The Doctor even used tincture of Cayenne on open wounds and, as he put

it, " There may be a bit of muttering about it, " referring to the burning

feeling of the Cayenne, but the bleeding stops.

 

Dr. Christopher related the humorous story of a very fine student of his

who had begun teaching herb classes on his own. This young man happened

to precede Dr. Christopher's lecture one evening in Arizona. The young

man said, " You know, ladies and gentlemen, that Dr. Christopher has

always made me gasp. I've seen him drink two or three tablespoons of

Cayenne in water--and I'd just shudder. But tonight I'm going to do

something that he may have never done himself. " With that, he reached

down into a container of Cayenne and threw a pinch right into his eye.

Dr. Christopher thought that the man must have gone crazy and he was

concerned that one of his students would do such a thing in public,

although he knew that Cayenne can never hurt the cell structure, no

matter how delicate it is.

 

The tears ran down the man's cheek as he continued talking, and when he

was finished, he opened his eye and invited everyone to look. The eye

just sparkled; it was by far the brighter of the two, although Dr.

Christopher said that he never had seen this antic performed again--and

that he never dared to try it himself!

 

A lady who had been attending Dr. Christopher's lectures over the years

told the story of her husband who had a severe case of stomach ulcers.

The doctor recommended that part of the stomach be removed, but the man

preferred to suffer the pain rather than risk such an operation. But he

also ridiculed his wife's recommendations to use Cayenne and other

herbs. Whenever he would see Dr. Christopher in town, he'd bellow,

" Hello, Doc! Killed anybody with Cayenne today? " Naturally, Dr.

Christopher tried to avoid him, but one day he came directly to the

Doctor--but this time without any sarcasm, instead being very

apologetic, telling this story.

 

He had come home from work one night, so sick he wanted to die, with

stomach ulcers. His wife was not home, but he was in such pain that he

decided to commit suicide.

 

When he looked into the medicine cabinet to find some kind of medicine

poisonous enough to kill him, he discovered that his wife had discarded

all the old bottles of pharmaceutical medicines. All he could find were

some bottles of herbs and a large container of Cayenne pepper.

 

He figured that a large dose of that would kill him, so he took a

heaping tablespoon in a glass of hot water, gulped it down, rushed into

the bedroom, and covered his head with a pillow so that the neighbors

couldn't hear his dying screams.

 

The next thing he knew, his wife was shaking him awake the next morning.

He had slept all night, the first time in years, instead of waking every

half hour or so for anti-acid tablets. To his amazement, all his pain

was gone. He continued using the Cayenne faithfully, three times a day,

and never had any more trouble with ulcers.

 

Once, when traveling with a business partner, Dr. Christopher

recommended Cayenne to him, as the man had extremely high blood pressure

and such bad hemorrhoids that he had to wear a belt. Dr. Christopher

used the same reverse psychology on this man-- " I don't think you are

brave enough " --and pretty soon the man was taking the Cayenne and the

wheat germ oil, too.

 

In a few months, he did not have to wear a belt any longer, and his

systolic and diastolic at his blood pressure examination were nearly

perfect. He no longer had to go to the doctor--and he lived many long

years, for he kept taking his Cayenne.

 

Early in Dr. Christopher's practice, he was called in the middle of the

night by a woman whose husband had just passed out from a heart attack.

The Doctor told the woman to heat some water, and he arrived at the

house and mixed a teaspoon of Cayenne into the water, propped up the

man, and gave him just a little.

 

When he came to, he finished the cup, and within a few minutes felt much

stronger. Soon he was well, and became converted to the use of herbs,

even buying and running one of the health food stores in Salt Lake City

for many years.

 

One young man had cut his hand deeply, fingers as well as the palm. The

blood spurted out in streams. He poured a large amount of Cayenne into

the wound, and within seconds the blood flow slowed down, congealed, and

stopped. He wrapped with wound, covering it first with a goodly amount

of Cayenne.

 

He was so excited about these results that he could hardly wait to

attend the next herb lecture to tell about it. But when he unwrapped the

bandage to show the audience, instead of a deep, ugly scar, the area was

healed and there was no scar at all!

 

Cayenne can be used on any part of the body and for anybody, Dr.

Christopher claimed. He even saved the life of a six-week-old baby who

was born with chronic asthma by giving Cayenne tea, from an eyedropper,

until the baby was able to breathe again. He said that Cayenne could

even be given by enema for chronic constipation (if you are brave!).

 

At the age of seventy, a few years before he died, Dr. Christopher was

asked by a premed student if he could take his blood pressure. The

lecture group saw the blood pressure reading of a healthy young man, not

the average reading of a seventy-year-old. In addition to a healthy

life-style and the mucusless diet, Dr. Christopher attributed this good

reading to his thrice-daily dose of Cayenne.

 

To show what a miracle worker Cayenne really is, Dr. Christopher related

the experiment performed by medical doctors in the eastern United

States--and printed in the medical journals. They put some live heart

tissue in a beaker filled with distilled water, and fed it nothing but

Cayenne pepper, cleaning off sediments periodically and adding nothing

else but distilled water to replace that which was lost from

evaporation.

During the experiment, they would have to trim the tissue every few

days, because it would grow so rapidly! Having no control glands

(pituitary and pineal), the tissue just continued to grow rapidly. They

kept this tissue alive for fifteen years.

 

After the doctor doing the experiment died, his associates kept it

alive for two more years before destroying it for analysis This shows

the tremendous regenerative and healing power of Cayenne, especially

upon the heart.

 

 

A HISTORY OF THE HEALING CHILI

 

The Capsicums are ancient natives of the New World, the oldest known

specimens coming from Mexico. From seeds found on the floors of caves

that were ancient human dwellings and from ancient fossil feces,

scientists have found the people were eating peppers as early as 7000

BC.

Presumably originating as wild plants, hot peppers were cultivated

between 5200 and 3400 bc. (Heiser: 1, among the oldest cultivated plants

of the world.

In South America, peppers recovered at the archaeological site of Huaca

Prieta have been dated at 2500 BC, these specimens being larger than the

wild peppers and therefore presumably cultivated (Ibid). Archaeological

research in the Tehucan Valley revealed that among other crops, chilis

were cultivated during the Coxcatlan era, around 4000 BC (Johnson, ed.:

150)

 

Capsicum was introduced to Europe by the historian who accompanied

Columbus to the New World, Peter Martyr. He reported the use of these

pungent peppers, and the ship's physician, Dr. Chatica, reported their

use as a condiment and as a medicine, an irony considering that Columbus

was seeking the spices of the Far East (Heiser, op.. cit.)

 

Later, scholars sent from Spain to the New World, notably to Mexico and

Central America, chronicle the extensive use of chili peppers in the

diet of the Indians. Next to maize, a certain Cobo wrote, it was the

foremost plant in the land; and a Garcilaso said that the Peruvian

Indians valued chilis more than any other plant, never cooking a dish

without them. The Jesuit Acosta noted that it was an item of

considerable value for trade in areas where chili did not grow, that it

" comforted the stomach " when taken in moderation, and that some of the

Indians made offerings of peppers to their gods (Ibid.).

 

According to sixteenth century historians, South American warriors would

burn peppers to use the smoke against the invading Spanish (Ibid.).

Interestingly, during the Viet Nam war, Buddhist monks armed themselves

with spray guns filled with a mixture of lemon juice, curry powder, and

Cayenne.

 

Cayenne peppers reached southeastern Asia a few years after the

discovery of America, and today they are almost as important in tropical

Asian cuisine and medicine as they are in tropical America. In fact,

these peppers became so well established in India not long after their

migration that early botanists thought they were indigenous.

 

In India they are an indispensable part of curry, which is a universal

ingredient in most Indian cuisine. Peppers are also widely used

throughout Africa, and the African produce is thought to be the hottest

in the world, perhaps due to climatic or edaphic factors, though it may

be due to specialized breeding (Heiser, op. cit).

 

In Ethiopia, the national dish, wort , or Cayenne pottage, features

this pungent powder. Salt and powdered Cayenne pods are mixed with a

little pea or bean meal and made into a paste called dillock. This is

kept in a gourd, often hung from the house roof, and used a little at a

time, wort being made by adding water to the paste and then boiling the

mixture (Ibid.).

 

Cayenne was introduced into Britain from India in 1548, and Gerard

mentioned it as being cultivated in his time (Gri:175). It is used in

folk medicine in various parts of the world, notably Greece, Italy, and

parts of Russia, where it is steeped in Vodka and drunk as a tonic in

wineglassful doses (Hut:6. It grows and is used abundantly in the West

Indies, where the Negroes value it as a certain remedy for many ailments

(Klo:217).

 

It is especially valued there for the deadly fevers, especially yellow

fever, of which the native people have no fear as long as they have a

goodly supply of Capsicum (Ibid.). As in Mexico, the children and adults

alike snack on hot pepper pods, eating them one after another " as we

would do so many doughnuts, " said Kloss.

 

Cayenne is one of the main foods of the Hunzas in Asia Minor, along with

apricots and their pits, millet, and other such simple foods.

 

They live to over a hundred years of age, sometimes play polo at the age

of 150, and generally die not from diseases, but from falls or accidents

(Herbalist:I:I:32).

 

Capsicum was early cited as growing in the Hawaiian Islands, cultivated

and escaped varieties noted as early as 1897, though the fruits were

small and very pungent.

 

It was known as " Hawaiian Chill Peppers. "

 

In Mexico today, Chilis of various kinds supplement the daily diet and,

in addition to providing spice and essential nutrients to an otherwise

bland and repetitious diet of tortillas, beans, squash, pumpkins,

potatoes and the like, they perform important medicinal functions.

Visitors to Mexico often suffer from " Montezuma's Revenge, " a

particularly devastating kind of amoebic dysentery. However, if they

will eat hot chill with their meals the way the native Mexicans do, they

will not suffer this disease.

 

Juliette de Bairacli Levy, when living in Mexico with her small

children, did not hesitate to let them drink raw milk--a practice

frowned upon by most because of the certainty of dysenteric infection.

She spiked the milk with a generous dose of Cayenne and the children

were never infected. She noted, too, that eventually the children came

to relish the hot-tasting milk.

 

It is reported that the Mexicans, who ingest such quantities of Chili

that their bodies are infused with it, are not attacked by predatory

birds, if they happen to perish by accident in the deserts; vultures

won't touch the Chili-laden body.

 

Cayenne pepper is the name for the hottest form of Capsicum, which can

take other forms. If its heat is 1 BTU, this mild Capsicum is called

paprika; if it is from one to twenty-five BTU, it is called simply red

pepper; but over twenty-five BTU rating is termed Cayenne.

 

Therefore Cayenne is the strongest of the Capsicum family. In Mexico

alone, many varieties (some claim fifteen or more) of peppers are grown,

each with a distinctive flavor, and often very hot indeed.

 

Other important varieties are grown in Japan (predominantly used, dried,

in cooking), the United States, and Africa, the latter being valued as a

high-quality medicinal Cayenne.

 

One of the United States varieties, imported from the Mexican state of

Tabasco, has attained great renown. An American soldier, returning from

the Mexican War of 1846-48, brought some pepper seeds to Edward

McIlhenny, a banker, who grew plants from them in Louisiana.

McIlhenny found that the peppers made a delightfully piquant sauce.

During the Civil War, he left Louisiana, but when he returned, finding

his plants still flourishing, was persuaded to market his sauce. Since

the war had left him without an income, he thought this was worth a try,

and the venture proved successful;

 

Tabasco Sauce is a gourmet treat throughout the world (Heiser:12).

 

Cayenne pepper was a mainstay of the Thomsonian School of Medicine,

Samuel Thomson, the original Botanic Physician, having featured it along

with Lobelia in his healing routines. It was an important ingredient in

his Composition Powder, and he also used it as a stimulant and an assist

to the emetic properties of Lobelia.

 

Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, was said to have advocated the use of

Cayenne. His successor, Brigham Young, eschewing the services of

orthodox medical practitioners, encouraged the use of Cayenne and of

Composition Powder, the latter even serving as a beverage in place of

regular tea or other drinks.

 

Many of the early Church members were well versed in botanic medicine,

an interesting example being Priddy Meeks, who was a thorough-going

herbal practitioner and whose journal we possess today. He gave Cayenne

pepper to a young man who had attempted to journey from California back

to the East. His feet were both frozen up to his ankles. Meeks felt, " as

tho by inspiration, " that he should try Cayenne internally for the case.

 

 

Having given the man too much at first, Meeks reduced the dose as the

frozen feet began to hurt terribly. When the dose seemed right, an

unusual event occurred: the frozen flesh would rot and rope down from

his foot, when it would be on his knee, then clear to the floor, and the

new flesh would form as fast as the dead flesh would drop. It seemed to

Meeks that the dead flesh was getting out of the way to make room for

the new flesh. After sixteen days, the man was able to walk again,

having lost only five toenails, instead of both feet--an unusual tale

indeed! Meeks related many other cases he healed with Cayenne pepper; he

was much in demand with these simple remedies.

 

In England, Cayenne was called " Ginnie pepper, " since it was purchased

from " Guinea, " or the Indies. Being official in both the United States

and British pharmacopoeias (even until the 1950's), Cayenne was an

ingredient in many of the cure-all remedies of the last century; in

fact, it was often the main ingredient, along with aloes and a little

soap.

The British pharmacopoeia requires that Capsicum should yield not more

than six percent of ash, and this will detect any adulterants, which

include ground fruit stone, linseed, ground cereal products, oxide of

red lead, and colored sawdust (Gri:176).

 

Cayenne or Capsicum derives its name from the Greek kaptos, I bite, an

allusion to the pungent properties of the fruits and seeds. Although the

origin of the species is obscured in antiquity, as described above,

experts believe that all the varieties of chilis originated in one

species. For this reason the botanical classification of these plants is

sometimes muddled, and Capsicum annuum is sometimes described as

Capsicum frutescens (Stuart:166).

 

Some sources indicate that our valuable Cayenne is really Capsicum

fastigiatum (Bar:148), or Capsicum minimum (Hut:67). All of this

confusion points to the point we made earlier, that the medicinal

Cayenne is classed according to its BTU rating rather than its species.

 

Other names for Cayenne include African pepper, African red pepper, and

African bird pepper, all alluding to the most pungent and superior

product obtained from Africa, although this can be light brownish-yellow

instead of red in color (Gri:176). It is also called American red

pepper, Spanish pepper, and Guinea pepper, as it is obtained from these

places.

 

We are already familiar with its name, Chili, in Mexico; in French it

is called Capsique or Poivre de Cayenne, and in German it is Spanisher

Pfeffer or Schlotenpfeffer.

 

 

MOST CERTAIN STIMULANT--AND NEARLY A CURE-ALL

 

One of the most important uses of (Cayenne is as a circulatory

stimulant, an herb that feeds the necessary elements into the cell

structure of the arteries, veins, and capillaries so that they, regain

youthful elasticity and so that the blood pressure reduces itself to

normal.

 

When the venous structure becomes loaded with sticky mucus, the blood

cannot circulate freely, so higher pressure is needed to force the blood

through.

 

Cayenne equalizes the blood pressure, influencing the heart immediately,

and then extending its effects to the venous structure (SNH:407). It

also works to cut the mucus in the venous system, and indeed in all the

systems throughout the body.

 

Cayenne is a certain remedy for heart attack; as a stimulant, it can

start the heart into action again, and as it facilitates blood flow

throughout the body, it will keep the heart going.

 

Used as a heart attack preventative, along with the mucusless diet and

a healthful life-style, Cayenne can do wonders in toning and rebuilding

the heart and keeping it in top condition.

 

As we will discuss later, Cayenne is one of the richest and most stable

sources of Vitamin E, which is known to be a heart builder.

 

The most common medical use of Cayenne is as a gastric stimulant and

digestive aid. It rebuilds the stomach tissue and stimulates

peristalsis, thus assisting in assimilation and elimination.

 

In the West Indies, a preparation called Mandram is used for weak

digestion and loss of appetite; this is made of thinly sliced, unskinned

cucumbers, shallots, chives or onions, lemon or lime juice, Madeira, and

a few pods of Cayenne well mashed up in the liquids. It can be used as a

chutney or garnish (Gri:176)

 

Cayenne is used as a diaphoretic-sweat inducing-herb, especially useful

when combined with other powerful diaphoretics such as yarrow, blue

vervain, bayberry, etc. It should be given when a chill is coming on, to

offset a cold, or to help break a fever, as it sustains the portal

circulation (Klo:220) and assists in the removal of mucus, as well as

inducing perspiration.

 

If one believes in the use of emesis to cleanse the stomach, such as the

Thomsonians did, large doses of Cayenne will certainly do the job

without causing any harm to the patient. If combined with an emetic,

such as Lobelia, Cayenne will help the emesis continue over a longer

period and prevent bruising or other discomfort.

If a person swallows a noxious substance or polluted food or drink,

this Lobelia-Cayenne combination will work surely to bring it up. Be

sure not to induce vomiting, however, if a corrosive substance has been

ingested.

 

As related above, Cayenne works powerfully to arrest bleeding. You can

place Cayenne powder or tincture directly upon an open wound, even one

that is gushing blood, and by the count of ten, the bleeding will cease.

If there is internal hemorrhaging, in the lungs, stomach, uterus or

nose, have the person take a teaspoonful of Cayenne in a glass of quite

warm water; the blood pressure will be equalized, taking the pressure

off from the affected part, clotting will begin, and the hemorrhage will

stop. For hemorrhage of the lungs, a vapor bath with warm Cayenne can do

the same thing. In an external wound, even if the cut is so deep it goes

to the bone you may fill it with Cayenne pepper and the bleeding will

stop and the wound will heal beautifully.

 

A woman fell while descending stairs to the basement and struck her head

on the overhang above the staircase. She fell on her elbow and hip as

well, but she had hit her eye so badly that it was oozing blood down her

face. She found her way upstairs, and " dumped a pile of Cayenne into her

hand and pressed it against her wounded eye " (Herbalist:March, 1978:30).

She also took Cayenne internally and applied an ice pack. By this time

the bleeding had stopped, and she applied Dr. Christopher's Comfrey

Poultice, made with wheat-germ oil and honey, to her eye wound and other

facial wounds. When she went to the doctor, he cleaned out the wound and

told her that she would bruise very badly and that, if she wished, he

would recut the wound and stitch it, as she had passed the eight-hour

limit for stitches.

 

She kept taking the Cayenne and rubbing wheat-germ oil and other oils

and herbs on the wound. She also applied wet hot packs for the itching

associated with healing. After a few days, the marks of the accident

were nearly cleared up, although the doctor had predicted many days of

discolor and discomfort. This lady--who has teenage

grandchildren--credits her quick healing to Cayenne (Ibid.)

 

Cayenne is used externally as a liniment as well, effective for wounds,

bruises, scalds, burns, and sunburns, applied freely. You can rinse the

mouth with the liniment for pyorrhea (Mal:84). It brings out toxic

poisons and can be used to relieve lung congestion as well as external

problems. It will bring relief for the sufferer of rheumatism. A simple

liniment is made by simmering 1 tablespoonful of Cayenne in 1 pint of

Apple cider vinegar; bottle, unstrained, while still hot.

You can also combine the Cayenne with other herbs, such as Golden Seal,

Lobelia, etc., to obtain their beneficial effects in the liniment. A

plaster of Cayenne, made with bran or hops and combined with Lobelia, is

valuable in pneumonia, pleurisy, and other congestions. Many famous

commercial ointments sold by Rawleighs, Watkins, and others, are high in

Cayenne.

 

Cayenne is extremely valuable as an emmenagogue. It will act as a

carrier for uterine herbs such as Blessed thistle, taking them directly

to the uterus. When expectant mothers go into labor, midwives commonly

give them a drink made of Cayenne, apple cider vinegar, honey, and warm

water. This stimulates good contractions, gives energy--and as an added

benefit, circumvents any possible hemorrhage and acts as an anti-shock

remedy, as labor often brings about shock. In fact, this combination is

a most efficient anti-shock remedy and should be supplied in any case of

shock. Cayenne in hot water alone will also work.

 

Cayenne will increase a person's feeling of vitality and activity--as it

is a stimulant--without any bad after-effects, such as do other

stimulants. Combined with Lobelia, it is wonderful in cases of

depression or low spirits.

 

Capsicum is an excellent antiseptic. For infectious sore throat, combine

it with slippery elm and lobelia. It will kill germs when applied to

wounds, and can he taken to ward off diseases one has been exposed to

(Herbalist 1:1:33).

 

Since it works so effectively to eliminate mucus from the body, it is an

excellent expectorant. Mixed with ginger, it does a wonderful job of

cleaning out the bronchial tubes and sinus cavities and relieving

immediately all problems of colds and congestion (Mal:85).

 

Cayenne is used as an accentuator with other herbs; it increases the

value and healing properties of the herbs and carries them to the

afflicted part of the body.

 

Indeed, Cayenne affects every portion of the body through its marvelous

action in the venous structure. It relieves cramping or pain throughout

the system. It reduces inflammation and reduces hemorrhoids, even when

they are serious and painful. It can help cleanse the system of

alcoholism and even reduce the discomfort of a hangover, or worse, the

miseries of delirium tremens.

It has been said to be a sure assist in cases of diphtheria, used

internally and externally as a fomentation of the tincture. It has been

combined with other herbs to make an excellent eyewash-though the user

needs a bit of courage the first time! It will relieve a relaxed throat,

toning it up immediately.

If you soak the oil in cotton, you can apply It to an aching tooth, and

the relief will last a long time. Sprinkle a little of the powder into

your socks at night if you suffer from cold feet; your toes will be warm

all night. Rub it on if you have a sprain or a backache.

 

Drink the tea if you have problems with flatulence. The American

Indians used to say you could get rid of a wart if you bound on a fresh

pepper pod every day.

 

Cayenne is rich in Vitamins C, A, B and G. It is an excellent source of

Vitamin E. In Szent-Gyorgi's Nobel Prize winning research on Vitamin C

in 1937, he had been using a substance, obtained from adrenal glands,

that he suspected to be Vitamin C. When he could no longer obtain this

substance, on a hunch he tried to use Paprika peppers for his work, and

found them a rich source of this substance, later to be called Vitamin

C. Capsicum also contains Calcium, Phosphorus, and Iron.

 

 

FROM THE MEDICAL WORLD

 

Most medical doctors eliminate hot foods such as capsicum from the diets

of ulcer patients and others with delicate digestion; as we have shown,

this is directly opposite to that which is recommended by herbalists.

 

Their actions are influenced from medical research showing hemorrhaging

occurring after introducing (mechanically) capsicum into the stomachs of

persons prone to hemorrhages. Their observations are fact but tend to be

inconclusive. Perhaps any substance introduced mechanically into the

system could have caused hemorrhaging. From personal experience, I was

very uncomfortable taking capsicum for my bleeding ulcers, but after one

day of taking capsicum, in water, I never again experienced passing dark

blood through my stools.

Perhaps the immediate bleeding observed, by the researchers, would have

been corrected through continued herb care.

 

 

FOOD AS MEDICINE

 

The most prominent non-medical use of Capsicum, of course, is culinary,

a perfect example of the old maxim, " Let your food be your medicine and

your medicine your food. "

 

In kitchens all over the world, Capsicums are used to prepare hot

dishes, and are even featured as a vegetable themselves. The peppers are

ground and mixed with other spices to make Chili Powder, a common

seasoning almost everywhere.

 

If you are fortunate enough to grow or purchase your own chili peppers,

you can preserve them yourself. You can pickle them as you would

cucumbers, adding carrots, celery, onions or other vegetables as the

Mexicans do. If you wish to can or freeze green chilis, you will need to

roast and peel them. Roast them over an open flame or in a hot oven

until the skins blister.

 

Quickly put them into a plastic bag or damp cloth until the steam

loosens the skins. You may then, with hands gloved in rubber gloves or

well-oiled--to avoid blistering or burning--peel the peppers. Remove the

seeds if desired, chop if desired, and freeze in plastic bags,

well-sealed. If you wish to can them, follow directions included with

your canning jars as to pressure needed in a pressure canner.

 

You may use green hot peppers to make your own taco or hot sauce. To two

or three quarts of tomatoes, add salt and garlic pepper to taste, and

two to three cups of chopped, peeled chills. Can as usual for tomatoes.

 

The Mexicans make a raw chili salsa, with chopped tomato, onion, garlic,

and fresh chili pepper. This salsa is an excellent and garnish to any

meal.

 

By far the easiest culinary use of Cayenne is just to sprinkle it upon

your food, as you would use black pepper. Use a little at first,

increasing as you become accustomed to the pungency. For everyday

maintenance of good health, this is an excellent way to use Cayenne.

Even children can learn to enjoy foods thus seasoned.

 

As for other uses, the leaves are used extensively in the Philippines as

a green dye. The powder can be sprinkled in primitive living sites to

drive off bugs and vermin, as they detest Cayenne, and it can also be

burned to fumigate against vermin. A room thus fumigated can be opened

and used right after the treatment, as the fumes are not poisonous to

humans (Levy:43).

 

 

CULTIVATION AND COLLECTION

 

Cayenne and the other Capsicums can be cultivated just like Green

Peppers. Seeds can be purchased at garden stores or through seed

catalogs. You can start them under glass or in the house in mid-February

if you plan to set them in late May. Feed the developing seedlings

manure tea and turn them so each side gets equal sun.

 

When you are ready to set the plants, protect them from cutworms with a

tin-can or brown-paper collar and set them three feet apart, as they

grow bigger than bell peppers. Harden the plants gradually--partially

shading them--for about a week, and mulch them to preserve moisture. Do

not over-fertilize them, or you'll get much leaf and little fruit.

 

When picking chilis, use rubber gloves to protect your hands. When they

are ripe, their hotness is at a peak, and further reddening will not

make them hotter, but just a little sweeter. You can preserve them as

described above, or string them up for drying, as is commonly done in

Mexico.

 

 

PREPARATION

 

The mature pepper pods are dried carefully and are either stored whole

or ground for storage. You can purchase ground Cayenne pepper and store

it with elder leaves or bay leaves in it to prevent insect infestation;

sometimes, if you open a can of grocery-store Cayenne, it will be

infested with large worms.

Dr. Christopher said it was because worms know good food when they see

it! Properly stored Cayenne will keep well for about a year. To keep it

longer, you can make a tincture, and it will last as long as you could

wish.

Dr. Christopher stored some for twenty years, and when he unpacked it,

it was as good as new!

 

 

PREPARATION AND USAGE

 

The quickest and most efficient preparation of Cayenne is the tea,

mixing a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful in warm water and drinking it.

Many people, not wishing to suffer the pungency of the herb, take it in

capsules, and this is all right, but the herb works much more quickly if

taken in tea. It is usually not made into a decoction, as the medicinal

factors are lost. Another method commonly employed to cut the hot taste

is to eat a spoonful of peanut butter before taking the herb, but Dr.

Christopher said he thought that was just for kids!

 

The tincture can be applied externally or taken internally. To make it,

macerate two ounces of Cayenne in one quart of 90 proof alcohol for

fourteen days.

 

 

DESCRIPTION

 

Capsicum belongs to the botanic family Solanaceae, commonly known as the

Nightshade family and including potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers,

eggplants, the deadly nightshade, henbane, Jimson weed, petunias, and

tobacco (Heiser:l). They are not true peppers, but were misnamed by

early Spanish explorers who confused their hot taste with the pepper to

which they were accustomed.

 

Capsicum annuum is a shrubby perennial plant two to six feet high.

Branches are angular, usually enlarged and slightly purple at the nodes;

petioles medium; penducles slender, often in pairs, and longer than the

fruit; calyx cup-shaped, clasping base of fruit which is red, ovate, and

long; seeds small and flat, from ten to twenty nine. The cuticle of the

pericarp is uniformly striated and in this particular is distinct from

other species. The taste is pungent and the smell characteristic, though

not disagreeable (Gri:175-76).

 

The peppers, when dried, vary in lengths from 3/8 inch to 2 1/4 inches

and in width from 3/16 to 1/2 inch. The shape is blunt and roundish at

the base, tapering to a point; oblong-acuminate. The pods are shiny,

flattish and somewhat wrinkled. The seeds are small, flat, reniform, and

yellow.

 

The African varieties are smaller and more pungent than the American

varieties, which are larger and more heart-shaped.

 

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

 

The laboratory, at the request of Dr. Christopher, supplied the

following analysis of Cayenne:

 

CAYENNE

 

Capsicum minimum (SOLANACEAE)

 

pods, berries

 

Capsicum Frutescens

 

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

 

Ca .26% Mn tr

 

p .09 Cu tr

 

K .17 Zn tr

 

Na tr

 

Cl tr

 

Mg .31

 

Fe .0006

 

Carotene-various carotenoid pigment. no carotene

 

A 12,137 Mg/lb

 

B-1 78

 

B-2 12

 

C (ascorbic 493

 

acid)

 

OTHER

 

albumen 2.4% oleic acid

 

pectin 2.33 palmitic acid 1.82%

 

gums 1.3 stearic acid

 

starch 2.0 fatty acids

 

capsicaine .43

 

capsacutin oil 16.35

 

pentosans totaling 8.59 solaine

 

xanthenes .82

 

In addition, the reader may be interested in the following research

analyzing Capsicum:

 

Constituents. In 1876 Thresh extracted the drug with petroleum, treated

the extract with aqueous alkali, and by passing carbon dioxide through

the alkaline liquid precipitated crystals of an intensely pungent

compound, capsaicin. As may be inferred from the method of preparation,

capsaicin is of phenolic nature.

 

Capsaicin (Vanillyl amide of isodecenoic acid)

 

The pungent phenolic fraction of capsicum also contains a proportion of

6,7 - dihydrocapsaicin. The capsaicin content of fruits varies

appreciably in a range up to 1.5 percent and is much influenced by

environmental conditions and age of the fruit.

 

It occurs principally in the dissepiment of the fruits, for example,

entire fruit 0.49; pericarp 0.10; dissepiment 1.79; seed 0.07. The

pungency of capsicum is not destroyed by treatment with alkalis

(distinction from gingerol, which also contains the vanillyl group) but

is destroyed by oxidation with potassium dichromate of permanganate.

 

Chilies also contain ascorbic acid (0.1-0.5 per cent), thiamine, red

carotenoid such as capsanthin and capsorubin and fixed oil (about 4-16

percent). They yield about 20-25 per cent of alcoholic extract

(capsicin) and about 5 percent (official limit 8 percent) of ash.

 

Hungarian capsicums or 'Paprika' are derived from a mild race of C.

annuum and are a convenient source of ascorbic acid. According to

Bennett and Kirby the pungent principle of C. annuum is composed of

capsaicin 69 percent, dihydrocapsaicin 22 per nordihydrocapsaicin 7

percent, homo-capsaicin 1 percent and homodihydrocapsaicin 1 percent.

The presence of the three minor components was established by mass

spectroscopy.

 

A number of colorimetric assays can be used the quantitative

determination of capsaicin (see p. 213); The B.P.C. utilizes

ultra-violet absorption at 248 and 296 nm.

 

Biogenesis of Capsaicin. Work by Leete and Louden on C. frutescens and

by Bennett and Kirby on C. annuum has shown that phenylalanine is

incorporated into the C6-C1 vanillyl unit of capsaicin, the C-3 of

phenylalanine giving the methylene group of the vanillylamine residues;

the incorporation probably proceeds via cinnamic, p-coumaric, caffeic

and protocatechuic acids.

Tyrosine did not appear to be a probable precursor. Leete's feeding

experiments with baline-U14 C have given incorporation consistent with

the hypothesis that the C10 isodecanoic acid is formed from isobutyryl

coenzyme A and three acetate units. (Treaxardevans).

 

The United States Department of Agriculture analyzed a raw chili pepper

for nutritional content; their results follow.

 

Immature Mature red Mature red Mature

 

green pods, pods, pods red dried

 

excluding including excluding pods

 

seeds seeds seeds

 

WATER (percent) 88.8 74.3 80.3 12.6

 

FOOD ENERGY 37 93 65 321

 

(calories)

 

PROTEIN (grams) 1.3 3.7 2.3 12.9

 

FAT (grams) .2 2.3 .4 9.1

 

CARBOHYDRATES

 

(grams)

 

TOTAL 9.1 18.1 15.8 59.8

 

FIBER 1.8 9.0 2.3 26.2

 

ASH (grams) .6 1.6 1.2 7.4

 

CALCIUM 10 29 16 130

 

(milligrams)

 

PHOSPHORUS 25 78 49 240

 

(milligrams)

 

IRON .7 1.2 1.4 7.8

 

(milligrams)

 

SODIUM -- -- 25 373

 

(milligrams)

 

POTASSIUM -- -- 564 1,201

 

(milligrams)

 

VITAMIN A 770 21,600 21,600 77,000

 

(IU)

 

THIAMINE .09 .22 .1 .23

 

(milligrams)

 

RIBOFLAVIN .06 .36 .2 1.33

 

(milligrams)

 

NIACIN 1.7 4.4 2.9 10.5

 

(milligrams)

 

ASCORBIC ACID 235 369 369 12

(milligrams)

 

--(U.S. Handbook No. 8, 1975)

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

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DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

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