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The Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne (Capsicum frutenscens) is a chili pepper native to Central and South America, and it was named after the capital city of French Guinea, South America. Christopher Columbus introduced these peppers to Europe after finding them in the Caribbean. Cayenne peppers were soon taken to Africa and Asia where they became an essential ingredient in the cuisine.
Cayenne pepper has been used in traditional folk medicine for the treatment of respiratory tract infections, asthma, digestive ailments, cancers, fevers and sore throats.
The healing properties of cayenne pepper are primarily due to the substance capsicum, which is also responsible for its hot and spicy flavor.
Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper
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Nutrients in Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is an excellent source of vitamin A. It's a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber. A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in our Nutrient Database.
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Arthritis Treatment
In a 4-week double blind study of 70 patients with osteoarthritis, and 31 with rheumatoid arthritis, it was concluded that capsaicin cream is a safe and effective treatment for arthritis.
Another double blind study suggest that capsaicin is a safe and potentially useful treatment for painful osteoarthritis of the hands.
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Digestive Health
Cayenne has been, and is still used for digestive problems in traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Ayurvedic medicines.Studies have shown cayenne, or the ingredient capsaicin, to be effective in relieving the symptoms of dyspepsia.It also offers protection against peptic ulcers, and against injury to the stomach lining caused by aspirin.
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Pain Relief
Capsaicin from cayenne peppers is used effectively in many areas of pain relief.It has been shown to be effective in acute pain relief following surgical procedures such as inguinal hernia repair, mastectomy and other cancer surgeryThere have been several preliminary studies, and a large double blind study supporting evidence of the effectiveness of capsaicin for pain relief in individuals with post-herpetic neuralgia, the pain following an outbreak of herpes zoster, or shingles.Results of studies also suggest that topical capsaicin cream is a safe and effective treatment for diabetic neuropathy, the pain that is thought to result from injury to the micro blood vessels supplying nerves. In one study topically applied capsaicin was equally effective as amitriptyline (antidepressant drug with side effects sometimes prescribed for pain relief) for relief of the pain of diabetic neuropathy.A preliminary study has suggested that topically applied capsaicin cream may decrease neck pain, but a double blind, placebo controlled trial is needed to substantiate this result.
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Cardiovascular Health
Cayenne pepper reduces atherosclerosis by inhibiting platelet aggregation (blood clots), and increasing fibrinolytic activity, which is the ability to prevent blood clots that can be the cause of heart attack, pulmonary embolism and stroke.
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Weight Loss
Epidemiological data (data hatgered from population studies) indicates the consumption of capsaicin rich foods such as cayenne and other peppers is associated with a lower prevalence of obesity.In a human study conducted at the Division of Kinesiology, in Québec, Canada, the addition of red pepper to meals significantly increased diet-induced thermogenesis (heat production) and lipid oxidation (the burning of fat for energy). In a second study, results show that the intake of red pepper decreases appetite.In recent research there is evidence that capsaicin from cayenne and other chili peppers may inhibit the growth of fat cells by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is found in muscle and other human tissue. AMPK has been found to regulate eating behavior and energy expenditure, and AMPK activation also stimulates hepatic and skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation.
1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.
2. Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.
3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
4. Bortolotti M, Coccia G, Grossi G, Miglioli M. The treatment of functional dyspepsia with red pepper. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Jun;16(6):1075-82. PMID: 12030948.
5. Yeoh KG, Kang JY, Yap I, Guan R, Tan CC, Wee A, Teng CH. Chili protects against aspirin-induced gastroduodenal mucosal injury in humans. Dig Dis Sci. 1995 Mar;40(3):580-3. PMID: 7895549.
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7. Aasvang EK, Hansen JB, Malmstrøm J, Asmussen T, Gennevois D, Struys MM, Kehlet H. The effect of wound instillation of a novel purified capsaicin formulation on postherniotomy pain: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Anesth Analg. 2008 Jul;107(1):282-91. PMID: 18635499.
8. Watson CP, Evans RJ, Watt VR. Post-herpetic neuralgia and topical capsaicin. Pain. 1988 Jun;33(3):333-40. PMID: 2458561.
9. Bernstein JE, Bickers DR, Dahl MV, Roshal JY. Treatment of chronic postherpetic neuralgia with topical capsaicin. A preliminary study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1987 Jul;17(1):93-6. PMID: 3611458.
10. Watson CP, Tyler KL, Bickers DR, Millikan LE, Smith S, Coleman E. A randomized vehicle-controlled trial of topical capsaicin in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. Clin Ther. 1993 May-Jun;15(3):510-26. PMID: 8364943.
11. Frucht-Pery J, Feldman ST, Brown SI. The use of capsaicin in herpes zoster ophthalmicus neuralgia. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 1997 Jun;75(3):311-3. PMID: 9253983.
12. Ellison N, Loprinzi CL, Kugler J, Hatfield AK, Miser A, Sloan JA, Wender DB, Rowland KM, Molina R, Cascino TL, Vukov AM, Dhaliwal HS, Ghosh C. Phase III placebo-controlled trial of capsaicin cream in the management of surgical neuropathic pain in cancer patients. J Clin Oncol. 1997 Aug;15(8):2974-80. PMID: 9256142.
13. Watson CP, Evans RJ. The postmastectomy pain syndrome and topical capsaicin: a randomized trial. Pain. 1992 Dec;51(3):375-9. PMID: 1491864.
14. Dini D, Bertelli G, Gozza A, Forno GG. Treatment of the post-mastectomy pain syndrome with topical capsaicin. Pain. 1993 Aug;54(2):223-6. PMID: 8251029.
15. The Capsaicin Study Group. Treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy with topical capsaicin. A multicenter, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study. Arch Intern Med. 1991 Nov;151(11):2225-9. PMID: 1953227.
16. Tandan R, Lewis GA, Krusinski PB, Badger GB, Fries TJ. Topical capsaicin in painful diabetic neuropathy. Controlled study with long-term follow-up. Diabetes Care. 1992 Jan;15(1):8-14. PMID: 1737545.
17. Biesbroeck R, Bril V, Hollander P, Kabadi U, Schwartz S, Singh SP, Ward WK, Bernstein JE. A double-blind comparison of topical capsaicin and oral amitriptyline in painful diabetic neuropathy. Adv Ther. 1995 Mar-Apr;12(2):111-20. PMID: 10150323.
18. Scheffler NM, Sheitel PL, Lipton MN. Treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy with capsaicin 0.075%. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 1991 Jun;81(6):288-93. PMID: 1920093.
19. Mathias BJ, Dillingham TR, Zeigler DN, Chang AS, Belandres PV. Topical capsaicin for chronic neck pain. A pilot study. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1995 Jan-Feb;74(1):39-44. PMID: 7532951.
20. Deal CL, Schnitzer TJ, Lipstein E, Seibold JR, Stevens RM, Levy MD, Albert D, Renold F. Treatment of arthritis with topical capsaicin: a double-blind trial. Clin Ther. 1991 May-Jun;13(3):383-95. PMID: 1954640.
21. McCarthy GM, McCarty DJ. Effect of topical capsaicin in the therapy of painful osteoarthritis of the hands. J Rheumatol. 1992 Apr;19(4):604-7. PMID: 1375648.
22. Leung FW. Capsaicin-sensitive intestinal mucosal afferent mechanism and body fat distribution. Life Sci. 2008 Jul 4;83(1-2):1-5. Epub 2008 May 11. PMID: 18541272.
23. Hwang JT, Park IJ, Shin JI, Lee YK, Lee SK, Baik HW, Ha J, Park OJ. Genistein, EGCG, and capsaicin inhibit adipocyte differentiation process via activating AMP-activated protein kinase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Dec 16;338(2):694-9. Epub 2005 Oct 11. PMID: 16236247.
24. Yoshioka M, St-Pierre S, Suzuki M, Tremblay A. Effects of red pepper added to high-fat and high-carbohydrate meals on energy metabolism and substrate utilization in Japanese women. Br J Nutr. 1998 Dec;80(6):503-10. PMID: 10211048.
25. Yoshioka M, St-Pierre S, Drapeau V, Dionne I, Doucet E, Suzuki M, Tremblay A. Effects of red pepper on appetite and energy intake. Br J Nutr. 1999 Aug;82(2):115-23. PMID: 10743483.
26. Winder WW, Hardie DG. AMP-activated protein kinase, a metabolic master switch: possible roles in type 2 diabetes. Am J Physiol. 1999 Jul;277(1 Pt 1):E1-10. PMID: 10409121. Related Articles
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