Welcome to your general health and well-being column… HEALTH- CHECK with Oluwabukunolami.
This week, we shall be discussing the Cayenne Pepper. Some call it Bawa here in Nigeria…
Let us quickly learn about the health benefits of Cayenne Pepper… Many of us have used Cayenne pepper or Bawa as it is popularly called here in Nigeria to add a little spice to our meals, but did you know that it has the power to help your health?
It has been used for both food and medicine for the last 9,000 years! Cayenne Pepper can stimulate your body’s circulation and reduce acidity; it is a powerful, spicy little pepper that offers many health benefits.
Cayenne Pepper is typically added to food in either its natural or powdered form.
Cayenne Pepper benefits are numerous and effective; it is used to help digestion, including heal upset stomach, slow intestinal gas, stop stomach pain, stop diarrhea and as a natural remedy for cramps.
It is also used for conditions of the heart and blood vessels — including helping to improve poor circulation, reverse excessive blood clotting, lower high cholesterol and prevent heart disease.
When consumed, Cayenne pepper has the power to relieve a toothache, sea-sickness, alcoholism, malaria and fever; it is also used to help people who have difficulty swallowing.
When applied topically, Cayenne Pepper has been said to benefit the skin, too.
The fruit of the capsicum plant contains a chemical called capsaicin. Using capsaicin for different health ailments is more common than ever.
Presently it is being studied to test its ability to reduce pain sensations when applied to the skin, and research indicates that it would be effective as a remedy for headaches (including migraines), potential solution for osteoarthritis and other painful conditions.
Cayenne is a shrub that originated in Central and South America and now grows in subtropical and tropical climates.
Its hollow fruit grows into long pods that turn red, orange or yellow when they ripen.
Cayenne chili peppers (or Capsicum frutescens) belong to the genus Capsicum and come from a similar cultivar of Capsicum annuum.
Capsicum is a herb, and the fruit of the capsicum plant is used to make medicine.
The pepper also contains vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E, potassium, manganese and flavonoids – which provides its powerful antioxidant properties.
#Here are the cayenne pepper nutrition facts, listed in recommended daily values; #
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper contains: 17 calories, 1 gram of fat, 2 milligrams sodium, 3 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram dietary fiber, 1 gram sugar, 1 gram protein, 44 percent vitamin A, 8 percent vitamin E, 7 percent vitamin C, 6 percent vitamin B6, 5 percent vitamin K.5 percent manganese
HEALTH BENEFITS
(1) HELPS DIGESTION
One of the major cayenne pepper benefits is the positive effect it has on the digestive system.
Cayenne pepper helps to produce saliva, which is important for excellent digestion as well as prevention of bad breath. Consuming cayenne pepper stimulates our salivary glands, which is needed to begin the digestive process.
Cayenne Pepper also stimulates the flow of enzyme production, which is essential for our digestive system to work properly.
It also stimulates gastric juices that aid the body’s ability to metabolize food and toxins.
(2) RELIEVES MIGRAINE PAIN
Researchers recently suggested that due to its spice, Cayenne Pepper has been discovered to be able to stimulate pain response in some parts of the body.
Once this happens, the brain puts its attention on that new site and will no longer concentrate on the pain in the head, which causes the migraine headache to subside.
After this initial pain reaction from the cayenne pepper, the nerve fibers have a depleted substance P, or pain chemical, and the sensation of pain is lessened. You are basically tricking your body to “feel pain” somewhere else, so that the head is no longer the main focus for pain chemicals.
(3) PREVENTS BLOOD CLOTS
Blood clots are blockages in your arteries and blood vessels that limit blood flow through your circulatory system.
Cayenne Pepper encourages fibrinolytic activity and helps to prevent blood clots.
This is also the reason why cayenne pepper is effective in preventing heart attacks.
The capsaicin in cayenne pepper helps to clear away artery-narrowing lipid deposits and dilates arteries and blood vessels to clear away clots.
(4) PROVIDES DETOX SUPPORT
Cayenne Pepper has the ability to stimulate circulation and elimination of acidity in the body
Cayenne Pepper restores the circulatory system by opening the capillaries and regulating blood sugar; it also helps the digestive system that moves bacteria and toxins out of the body.
Cayenne pepper increases body temperature and boosts your metabolism.
(5) RELIEVES JOINT AND NERVE PAIN
Cayenne has been discovered to have very powerful pain-relieving properties when applied to the skin.( Please ensure you know what to do before trying this typically).
It reduces the amount of substance P, a chemical that carries pain messages to the brain.
When there is less substance P, the pain messages no longer reach the brain and you feel relief.
Studies have found that cayenne pepper relieves pain after surgery, such as a mastectomy or an amputation.
It also alleviates pain from nerve damage in the feet or legs from diabetes, lower back injuries, neuropathy, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as fibromyalgia.
(6) SUPPORTS WEIGHT LOSS
Studies have found that including Cayenne in our breakfast is very good because it creates less appetite, so people eat less calories during the day.
It also burns excess fat because it is a metabolic booster. As one of the key anti-inflammatory foods, cayenne pepper benefits also helps weight loss. Cayenne Pepper has the power to soothe inflammation and bloating that comes from allergies, food sensitivities and infections.
(7) WORKS AS ANTI-IRRITANT
Cayenne Pepper has anti-irritant properties, making it effective in easing upset stomachs, cough and even potentially stop diarrhea.
The common belief is that cayenne pepper, when consumed in excessive amounts, leads to gastric ulcers because of its irritant and acid-secreting nature. People with ulcers are actually advised to limit or avoid using cayenne pepper; however, investigations carried out in recent years have revealed that chili, or its active principle “capsaicin,” is not the cause for the formation of ulcer symptoms but a benefactor.
Studies have found that cayenne pepper does not stimulate, but inhibits acid secretion, stimulates alkali and mucus secretions and particularly gastric mucosal blood flow, which helps in the prevention and healing of ulcers.
(8) CLEARS CONGESTION
Suffering from stuffed up sinuses due to seasonal illness or allergies? Cayenne Pepper aids in breaking up and moving congested mucus.
(9) RESISTS HARMFUL ORGANISMS
When it comes to defense against harmful organisms, cayenne is a proverbial surgical flame thrower.
In vitro tests conducted, it was discovered that cayenne has CAY-1, a compound found in cayenne peppers, which effectively suppresses the development of 16 different fungal strains, while remaining completely non-toxic to animal cells.
(10) ANTI-REDNESS PROPERTIES
Many health ailments result in swelling and redness throughout the body.
Cayenne’s ability to soothe systemic cellular distress make it a great herb for such conditions.
(11) SOOTHES OCCASIONAL JOINT DISCOMFORT
Extremely high in a substance called capsaicin, cayenne pepper sends chemical messengers from the skin into the joint, offering relief for occasional joint discomfort.
For this reason, many people with stiff, sore joints use creams and lotion that contain cayenne.
(12) HELPS PRESERVE FOOD
Cayenne pepper is an excellent preservative and has been used traditionally to prevent food contamination from bacteria.
(13) PROMOTES LONGEVITY
A study using data collected from almost half a million people revealed that those who ate spicy foods had a 14% chance of living longer than those who do not. Researchers also found that regular consumption of chili peppers aligned with reduced rates of death from respiratory disease, heart problems and even cancer.
(14) REMEDY FOR TOOTHACHE
When applied directly to the site, Cayenne may help ease the discomfort associated with a sore tooth. Now I believe we all know some of the health benefits of Bawa or cayenne pepper… This is where we would be stopping this week.
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