capsaicin~cayenne powder

nimh · Aug 25, 2006

capsaicin

helps with arthritis,

decreases the inflamatory response of the body,

works against intestinal parasites and

helps speed up metabolism.

can even produce a state of euphoria bc it encourages the formation of endorphins in the body

works against cancer cells

when i was camping, i was getting arthitis pain in my fingers. yeah, i'm only 34, but arthritis runs in my family and it was getting cold and chilly at night. anyways, i picked up some cayenne powder capsules. make sure you take those puppies with a meal! i made the mistake of taking 2 on an empty stomach, and that burned for a while. anyways, the aches in my fingers went away and i felt a sense of general well-being

wickipedia

nimh · Aug 25, 2006

Red Hot Chili Peppers
by author Linda Matthie-Jacobs

Millions of people from many cultures around the world enjoy the flavor and fire of hot foods. After all, chilies are the second most common spices in the world, following salt. Few people, however, realize the many health benefits that chili peppers offer.

A substance called capsaicin causes the heat of chilies and peppers. Capsaicin has been associated with many cures that include lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol and warding off strokes and heart attacks, speeding up metabolism, treating colds and fevers, preventing cancer and pain control.

Capsaicin is a flavorless, odorless chemical concentrated in the veins of chilies and peppers. The seeds grow next to the veins and absorb the chemical. Contrary to popular belief, the seeds are not the hottest part of a chili. Rather, the greatest heat is found in the capsaicin oil, which is in the membranes and near the stems of chili plants. Removing the seeds (and especially the veins) can reduce the heat by up to 50 percent. Otherwise, capsaicin is virtually indestructible. It can withstand freezing, cooking and time.

Pain Relief

Experts believe that capsaicin acts on and desensitizes nerve fibres that carry pain signals throughout the nervous system. Repeated and high doses of capsaicin prevent sensory nerves from replenishing their chemical stores and they basically run out of neurotransmitters (the chemical agents that transmit the message of pain to a nerve or muscle). When taken internally, capsaicin stimulates circulation sequentially, from the internal organs to the skin surface and subsequently throughout the entire body. When applied externally and once it penetrates the skin, capsaicin increases circulation to the site where it has been applied.

Capsaicin has been proven to be highly successful in relieving symptoms of arthritis, sports injuries, other kinds of chronic joint and muscle pain and certain kinds of itching. Cream made from cayenne was originally used to treat the intense pain of herpes zoster (shingles), which is a nerve infection caused by chicken pox and usually afflicts adults.

Medical studies have shown that capsaicin significantly lowers cholesterol and is a factor in warding off strokes and heart attacks. It has also been medicinally proven to aid in the human body’s process of digestion and protect against stomach ulcers and the ravages of alcohol. Contrary to popular belief that ulcer sufferers should avoid spicy foods, a report published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences concluded that capsaicin increased blood flow in the stomach’s mucous lining, which may help in healing of the stomach tissue. [Herbal pioneers John Christopher and Jethro Kloss have been saying this for years!–Editor] Chili eaters develop fewer peptic ulcers than those who eat plain foods. Chili peppers also protect against the side effects of aspirin. Also, rates of stomach cancer are unusually low in countries where hot peppers are part of a regular diet, as capsaicin appears to neutralize some carcinogens.

Research has proven that adding chili peppers to your foods can help your body burn calories faster (up to 45 calories more per meal than if you eat bland dishes) and speed up your metabolism. Chili peppers are an incredible replacement for the fat and salt in your diet, as the flavors of the foods are enhanced sufficiently with the ingredients themselves.

When people eat hotter peppers, they experience pain in their mouths and throats. The nervous system reacts to the pain by releasing morphine-like endorphins. Endorphins create a sense of euphoria similar to the "runner’s high" that some people get from exercise.

Fresh chilies offer the highest source of vitamin C available from any vegetable. Surprisingly, fresh, uncooked green chilies provide at least twice and up to eight times the amount that is available from citrus fruits. They are also a good source of vitamin A. As chilies turn from green to red and when dried, they lose much of their vitamin C but gain vitamin A through increased amounts of carotene. Vitamin A content increases 100 times in dried peppers.

Linda Matthie-Jacobs is a best-selling writer, confirmed chili lover and believer in the curative power of peppers.
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http://www.alive.com/317a1a2.php

nimh · Aug 25, 2006

To your health

Compiled by Lois Collins Pass the pepper

Capsaicin, which puts the "hot" in jalapenos, drives prostate cancer cells to kill themselves, according to studies published in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research. Prostate cancer kills about 30,000 American men each year.

Researchers from the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, working with colleagues from UCLA, found the pepper component caused human prostate cancer cells to undergo programmed cell death or apoptosis.

In mice, capsaicin drove about 80 percent of prostate cancer cells to apoptosis, and cancer tumors treated with it were about one- fifth the size of tumors in untreated mice.

They estimate the dose that produced the effect was roughly equivalent to between three and eight fresh habanera peppers, depending on the pepper's capsaicin content.
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http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060327/ai_n16179190/print

nimh · Aug 25, 2006

hot is cool: chilies are potent flavor boosters that also aid weight loss, relieve pain, and help prevent cancer and heart disease. Our mild-to-molten recipes add zest to a healthful dietDaryn Eller THE HOTTER THE CHILI, the more therapeutic it is. But you don't need a high pain threshold to benefit. All chilies, even the milder ones, have healing properties. Besides being packed with vitamin C--and, in the case of red chilies, beta carotene they contain capsaicinoids, compounds that cause "heat" by stimulating pain receptors in the mouth and nose. Researchers have found that capsaicin, the hottest of the capsaicinoids, is a powerful antioxidant that inhibits several types of cancer. Recently, investigators at The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that capsaicin made pancreatic cancer cells self-destruct without harming healthy cells. "Capsaicin may help prevent cancer and someday be used to treat cancer," says study leader Sanjay K. Srivastava, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmacology.

Chilies are also heart-friendly. Capsaicin lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels and reduces the stickiness of blood platelets, "which may help prevent atherosclerosis," explains Eric Yarnell, N.D., assistant professor of botanical medicine at Bastyr University near Seattle.

Then there's capsaicin's research-backed reputation for pain relief, especially in treating arthritis, shingles, and migraines. "Capsaicin turns on the nerve so strongly that it actually runs out of transmitters," says Yarnell. "It's like turning the radio up so loud, you can't hear it."

tummy warmers

TRADITIONALLY, chilies have served as a sort of internal housekeeper. "Chilies are anti-microbial, so they keep intestinal 'baddies' like certain bacteria in check," explains Paul Bosland, Ph.D., a Regents professor of horticulture and director of The Chili Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. You can, however, get too much of a good thing: While eating moderate amounts of chilies may protect against stomach cancer, eating too many of them--the equivalent of 10 jalapenos or more a day--can increase your risk, notes Yarnell.

For all the good chilies do, one may question the effect their fiery natures have on the digestive system. Surprisingly, capsaicin helps protect against ulcers and other digestive diseases by sending more blood to the lining of the stomach.

burning pounds

WHILE PROTECTING your inner self, chilies may help trim your outer self. Not only do these hot properties temporarily spike your metabolism, but they may also take some air out of your appetite.

That was the theory Heidi Allison was going on when she began to add chilies to her meals and snacks. After dropping 60 pounds over the course of a year--and keeping the pounds off--Allison conducted a study with the aid of a registered dietitian and a UCLA internist. Fourteen subjects ate a low-fat diet with and without chilies; in chili phases, they lost an average of 9.4 pounds (in 56 days), compared to 0.9 pound during the chili-less intervals. The participants also reduced their levels of LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, while maintaining or slightly raising their levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.

"They all felt less hungry when eating the chilies and were better able to keep portions in check," says Allison, who went on to author The Chili Pepper Diet. "They had fewer cravings for fatty foods and sweets."

Others have had similar results. Dutch researchers found that subjects who drank juice with added capsaicin 30 minutes before a meal consumed fewer calories and fat. One explanation: Korean animal studies determined that capsaicin inhibits neuropeptide-Y, a brain chemical that evidently encourages eating.

heat it up

SALSA IS ONLY the start of your chili-cooking options. There are hundreds of varieties of chilies with a complex range of flavors. The trick is to find ones that boost wellness and deliver a degree of heat that falls inside your comfort zone.

To reap the health benefits of capsaicin, choose varieties that are of medium heat and hotter. If you're particularly sensitive, consider that the taste buds apparently adjust: Eat chilies regularly and you'll build up your tolerance over time.

The food industry measures capsaicin--and, by association, a chili's heat--in what are called Scoville units. The habanero and Scotch bonnet peppers, the most tongue-punishing of all chilies, have anywhere from 100,000 to 500,000 Scoville units each. Less incendiary jalapenos deliver 5,000 to 15,000 units each; poblano chilies score a mellow 500 to 1,000; canned green chilies tip the scale at a mere 100 to 500. The capsaicin-free bell pepper scores zero Scoville units.

Chili wrangling

IN GENERAL, small chilies tend to be hotter than large specimens, and red chilies contain more capsaicin than green--though red chilies also have more sugar, which mellows their flavor. Since capsaicin lurks in the network of veins in the chili, the more orange the veins are, the hotter the chili will be. To defang a chili, remove its veins; dumping the seeds will also cut the heat because capsaicin rubs off on them. But be judicious: "Don't take out all the veins if you want to get the benefits of capsaicin," says Bosland.

Be careful, too, when handling these little furnaces. You'll feel the burn if your capsaicin-kissed fingers touch your eyes or any cuts on your skin, so wash your hands immediately afterward. Better yet, wear gloves. And if your well-chosen chili still sets your mouth ablaze? Drink milk, not water, to dampen the fire.
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http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_2_36/ai_n16520016/print

Bilby · Aug 25, 2006

This is very interesting. I get a touch of arthrirtus in cold damp weather, hence I live in a Medditeranean climate. I thought you were not all that bothered about cholesterol levels these days.

nimh · Aug 25, 2006

well, there's hdl, and ldl. i havent had my own cholesterol levels checked. i guess it's just an added bonus that capsacin helps lower the 'bad' cholesterols, but really it all boils down to making sure that the body doesnt go into an inflammatory state. capscaisin is wonderful as an antiinflamatory. inflammation ultimately leads to the degenerative diseases of aging

capsaicin cream is also something worth mentioning, it works wonders as a topical application for large joint pain. most pple dont like using it on their hands though because the stuff burns like crazy if you forget it's on and touch your eyes or whatever.

ps, want to start a cholesterol thread bilby? it's a pretty complex subject and i think it deseves a thread of its own.

tigerlily · Aug 25, 2006

hmm i've been having what i think are arthritis pains in my fingers lately. i eat a lot of chiles generally, red pepper flakes and stuff. i didn't read all the articles so i might be asking a dumb question, but is it strictly cayenne powder, or all peppers? should i increase my intake of chiles? hehe

nimh · Aug 25, 2006

capsaicin is the stuff in hot peppers that makes them hot (so all of them!). i dont personally like that much heat in my food, so i take cayenne pepper in capsule form. but, hey, if you like the heat, go for it!!

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capsaicin~cayenne powder

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capsaicin~cayenne powder

nimh ~foodie~

nimh ~foodie~

nimh ~foodie~

nimh ~foodie~

Bilby Lifetime Supporter and Freerangertarian Super Moderator

nimh ~foodie~

tigerlily proud mama

nimh ~foodie~

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