Official - Chilli Peppers Could Be Good For You

Recent medical research has come up with a fact of which herbalists have been aware for almost as long as the practice has existed: that the ingredient in chilli peppers that makes them taste hot is good for your heart.  The research was in fact carried out on rats but herbalists as well as the thousands of loyal users know that chilli pepper compounds, also known as cayenne peppers are extremely beneficial for humans too.  There are many preparations available based on cayenne peppers for that very purpose.

Recent research shows that using a long-term diet of capsaicin, one of the main constituents in chilli peppers on the poor rats, produced a reduction in blood pressure.  It is worth mentioning that this was all carried out in China, generally held in high regard when it comes to herbal remedies, making the research and the apparent need for it so late in the day, rather bizarre. The Chinese culture and their use of herbal remedies dates back thousands of years and yet and only now has the research been carried out! 

The prevalence of raised blood pressure levels has been found to be more than 20% in north-eastern China compared to 10-14% in south-western China.  The latter region is known as one where people like to eat spicy foods, hot with chilli peppers.

For those who want to know the technical ins and outs, it is apparently the activation of the receptor channel found in the lining of blood vessels that leads to a rise in production of nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule known to protect blood vessels against inflammation and dysfunction.  We knew it worked.  Now we know why!

This was not the first round of research to look for a proven link between lower blood pressure and capsaicin but it is understood  that earlier studies have been based on the acute or short-term exposure to capsaicin, rather than long-term treatment with it.  We must also repeat that this research was undertaken in China on rodents with hypertension.  Poor rats is all we can say to that!

The research team said further analysis was needed to confirm the results in humans, which in a way we find mildy irritating if not tragic, given that the effect of capsaicin has been known by herbalists for ages and the poor rats need not have been put through the tests.    We’re dealing with peppers here folks; not radio active cyanide!  Why practice on rats when there are millions of willing humans available?

Having said all this, isn’t it great when science meets up with common custom and practice!

So, if you were considering a cayenne pepper diet or maybe have just learned how much benefit capsaicin can be, the list of other benefits you can obtain from chilli peppers and cayenne pepper preparations is extensive and goes way beyond the scope of this article but there are lots of articles available on the capsaicin effect.   Definitely worth a read and especially if you are partial to the odd chilli meal!  Try the link below.  Type in "Cayenne" in the Search Box at the top of their Home Page and see the articles listed.