Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Healing with Red Pepper
Modern science has supported this herb’s traditional uses as a digestive aid and pain reliever. Red pepper owes its heat and its value in herbal Healing to one chemical found in its fruit-capsaicin.
Digestive Aid - Red pepper assists digestion by stimulating the flow of both saliva and stomach secretions. Saliva contains enzymes that begin the breakdown of carbohydrate, while stomach secretions (gastric juices) contain acids and other substances that further digest food.
In cultures with bland cuisine, such as traditional American meat-and-potatoes cooking, people often believe highly spiced foods damage the stomach and contribute to ulcers. This is not the case. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers used a tiny video camera to examine subjects’ stomach linings after both bland meals and meals liberally spiced with jalapeno peppers. They reported no difference in stomach condition and concluded:
“Ingestion of highly spiced meals by normal individuals is not associated with [gastrolntestinal] damage.”
Diarrhea - Like many culinary spices, red pepper has antibacterial properties, possibly explaining traditional claims that it helps relieve infectious diarrhea.
Chronic Pain - For centuries, herbalists have recommended rubbing red pepper into the skin to treat muscle and joint pains. Medically, this is known as using a counterirritant -a treatment that causes minor superficial pain and distracts the person from the more severe, deeper pain. Several capsaicin counterirritants are available over-the-counter, among them Heet, Stimurub, and Omega Oil.
Recently, however, red pepper has been shown to possess real pain-relieving (analgesic) properties for certain kinds of chronic pain. For reasons still not completely understood, capsaicin interferes with the action of “substance P,” the chemical in the peripheral nerves that sends pain messages to the brain. Several recent studies all showed capsaicin so effective at relieving a particular type of chronic pain, two over-the-counter capsaicin creams, Zostrix and Axsain, have won Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Shingles - Zostrix is the most effective treatment yet for the severe chronic pain following the disease known as shingles, or herpes zoster. Shingles is an adult disease caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox in children. The virus remains dormant in the body until later in life when, for unknown reasons, it reappears in some people as shingles, causing a rash on one side of the body that progresses from red bumps to blisters to crusty pox resembling chicken pox. In otherwise healthy adults, shingles clears up by itself within three weeks. But some people-typically the elderly or those with other illnesses, particularly Hodgkin’s disease-suffer severe, chronic pain, a condition that doctors call postherpetic neuralgia. Now, thanks to capsaicin, they don’t have to suffer as much.
Diabetic Foot Pain - Capsaicin’s pain-relieving ability has also led to its use in treating the severe ankle and foot pain known as burning foot syndrome, which affects approxiMatély half of all diabetics. In one study, 7 I percent of diabetics reported significant relief after four weeks. The FDA recently approved a capsaicin preparation, Axsain, for use in treating this condition.
Cluster Headaches - A report in Environmental Nutrition showed capsaicin also helps relieve the pain of cluster headaches, extremely severe pain on one side of the head. In this study, cluster headache sufferers rubbed a capsaicin preparation inside their nostrils and outside their nose. Within five days, 75 percent reported less pain and fewer headaches. They also reported burning nostrils and a runny nose, but these side effects subsided within a week.
Intriguing Possibility - Red pepper may help cut cholesterol and prevent heart disease, according to two studies done in India and the United States. While it is too early to recommend red pepper as a means of lowering cholesterol and treating heart disease, this common kitchen spice may someday have a role to play in these areas.
Rx for Red Pepper
In food, season to taste, but err on the side of caution. A little too much can set the mouth on fire.
For an infusion to aid digestion and possibly help reduce risk of heart disease, use ¼ to ½ teaspoon per cup of boiling water. Drink it after meals.
For external application to help treat pain, mix ¼ to ½ teaspoon per cup of warm vegetable oil and rub it into the affected area.
Red pepper should not be given to children under age 2. For older children, start with a small amount and use more if necessary. People over 65 often suffer a loss of taste-bud and skin-nerve sensitivity and may require more than younger adults.