| Forget apples. The old folk saying should probably | | | | |
| read, "Eat a chile a day and keep the doctor away." | | | | Pain Management. Capsaicin is believed to affect the |
| | | | pain signals in the skin, blocking pain without blocking |
| Chile peppers, and particularly the capsaicin they | | | | other sensations. Find an ointment or cream containing |
| contain, are good for what ails you. Here's just a short | | | | capsaicin and smear it over the body part that's |
| list of some of the health benefits attributed to them: | | | | hurting. Initially the capsaicin may produce a burning |
| | | | sensation, but that should cancel out the pain that |
| Weight Loss. Feel the burn and lose the pounds is one | | | | you're feeling. |
| theory posited by researchers at the Oxford | | | | |
| Polytechnic Institute in England. In an experiment with 12 | | | | Cure for the Common Cluster Headache. Just as it |
| individuals, each participant ate identical 766-calorie | | | | short-circuits pain elsewhere, chiles and their capsaicin |
| meals. Chile powder and mustard were added to | | | | can provide relief for some kind of headaches, |
| meals on alternate days. Participants burned an | | | | especially cluster headaches. |
| average of 45 extra calories on the days that their | | | | |
| meals included chile powder. (Added calorie | | | | Digestive Aid and Constipation Cure. Chiles stimulate |
| expenditure varied from four to 76 calories.) The | | | | gastric secretions. Eating chiles increases the circulation |
| theory is that eating hot peppers increases | | | | in the stomach and intestines so that food is |
| "thermogenesis," the body's caloric burn rate. | | | | processed and absorbed more efficiently. They get |
| | | | the digestive juices flowing, which improves digestion |
| Keep your heart healthy. Chiles reduce platelet | | | | as well as gives a boost to sluggish bowels and |
| aggregation, which clogs blood vessels which in turn | | | | inspires them to get a move on. Chiles can even bring |
| can cause heart disease. | | | | relief to sufferers of stomach aches as strange as |
| | | | that may sound. |
| Improve circulation. Because chiles are vasodilators | | | | |
| and open up blood vessels, ingesting cayenne pepper | | | | Cold Relief. Hot pepper acts as an expectorant. It can |
| improves blood circulation. People with circulation | | | | break up congestion and reduce mucous in the lungs |
| problems or who have suffered frost bite often take | | | | and nasal passages. (Ingestion of hot peppers causes |
| capsaicin powder before participating in cold weather | | | | your mouth, throat, and lungs to release watery fluids |
| sports. | | | | as anyone that's chomped down on a jalapeno |
| | | | pepper or taken a bite of extra hot chili can attest.) |
| Cancer killer. Capsaicin in chiles may fight cancer by | | | | These watery secretions help thin respiratory mucus, |
| preventing carcinogens from binding to DNA. The | | | | so it's easier to cough up and expel.) Try cayenne |
| theory is that binding to the DNA short-circuits the | | | | mixed with hot lemonade and ginger to soothe your |
| triggers for lung and other cancers. This does not | | | | next cold. Similarly capsaicin can help calm coughs by |
| mean that chiles cure cancer, but eating them may | | | | wetting the throat -- menthol lozenges actually dry out |
| help to reduce your risk of getting certain kinds of | | | | your throat and paralyze the cilia on the airways. |
| cancer. | | | | Chilies can also mend sore throats, not only by giving |
| | | | symptomatic, relief but also because of hot peppers' |
| Bacteria Killer, Part I. Get hurt on a picnic and don't | | | | antiseptic properties. |
| have any Bactine on you? Head for the hot sauce, | | | | |
| instead. Chiles and their capsaicin act as an antiseptic | | | | Keep in mind that individual results may vary and that |
| when applied directly to a wound. (No, it does not work | | | | you should always consult a doctor before trying a |
| against snake bites.) | | | | health remedy -- even an all-natural one. That said, |
| | | | next time you catch a cold, dribble some hot sauce on |
| Bacteria Killer, Part II. Chiles can prevent food borne | | | | your favorite food to relieve your stuffy nose and |
| bacterial disease such as salmonella. Chiles killed more | | | | make your sore throat feel better and call your doctor |
| than 75 percent of 30 germs in a study published in | | | | in the morning.This article was written by Eric Vinje of |
| the March 1998 issue of the Quarterly Review of | | | | Cosmic Chile. |
| Biology. So slather on the hot sauce and know that | | | | |
| you're not only improving the taste of what you're | | | | Shop online for hot sauce, salsas, spicy BBQ sauces |
| eating, you may be getting rid of some nasty microbes | | | | and more. If it's fiery foods you're after...we've got it! |
| that could make you ill. | | | | |