Cayenne - Heart & Cardiovascular Support

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Cayenne - Heart & Cardiovascular Support

JoAnn Guest

Nov 04, 2004 19:27 PST

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Cayenne - Heart & Cardiovascular Support

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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.

 

Common use:

Effective against diabetic foot pain and neuropathy, arthritis,

cluster headaches and heart and cardiovascular problems,it 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

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 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 only!~ Common Spices, here in

the U.S. currently undergo irradiation.

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" Capsicum " -therapeutic herb for numerous ailments.

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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 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* in 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 Birdseye peppers 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 and other foods, 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 "

written by - Michael T. Murray. N.D.

 

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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 8:19 am

Post subject: CAYENNE

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CAYENNE

 

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

yearsof 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 organic 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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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)

_________________

 

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