Chili Pepper

Other Names : chile pepper, chilli pepper, chilli, Capsicum
The chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The five domesticated species of chili peppers are as follows:

• Capsicum annuum, which includes many common varieties such as bell peppers, wax, cayenne, jalapeños, chiltepin, and all forms of New Mexico chile.
• Capsicum frutescens, which includes malagueta, tabasco and Thai peppers, piri piri, and Malawian Kambuzi
• Capsicum chinense, which includes the hottest peppers such as the naga, habanero, Datil and Scotch bonnet
• Capsicum pubescens, which includes the South American rocoto peppers
• Capsicum baccatum, which includes the South American aji peppers
  

See also :

• Capsaicin
• Habanero Pepper

Special Precautions of Chili Pepper

• Stomach cancer : Some test-tube and animal studies indicate that chili pepper consumption may be linked to stomach cancer. Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico conducted a study in Mexico City, where the average person consumes about one hot chili pepper a day. As compared to non-consumers, hot chili pepper consumers had an increased risk of stomach cancer. While this study shows that chili pepper consumption may be a significant risk factor for gastric cancer, further studies are still being conducted.
• Dermatitis and Burns : The oil in many types of chili peppers can be painful to the skin. If preparing chilies for eating or decorating, make sure to wear gloves and avoid contact with your eyes. The pain from a chili pepper burn — which feels much like a sunburn — can be relieved by washing the area thoroughly with soap and water. If the burning sensation persists, contact a health professional. Children, who tend to have more sensitive skin than adults, are particularly at risk for chili pepper burns.
• Reflux : Any spicy food, especially foods containing chili peppers, may cause reflux, indigestion and/or heartburn. Limiting intake of chili peppers and spicy foods containing capsaicin may help reduce the symptoms of these painful conditions. If you experience extreme discomfort after eating chili peppers or a food that contains chili peppers, contact a health professional.
• Intestinal Disorders : Eating chili peppers or consuming capsaicin (chili pepper extract) as a health supplement may cause intestinal discomfort. People who have had recent anal surgery, ulcers, or any other laceration should choose to stay away from chili pepper and capsaicin consumption.
  Some symptoms include:
  • diarrhea
  • upset stomach
  • painful bowel movements.
• Botulism : Botulism is caused by the toxins released by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. While very rare, some cases of botulism have been caused by the consumption of home-jarred or canned chili peppers.

Health Benefits and uses of Chili Pepper are

• Fight Inflammation : Chili peppers contain a substance called capsaicin, which gives peppers their characteristic pungence, producing mild to intense spice when eaten. Capsaicin is a potent inhibitor of substance P, a neuropeptide associated with inflammatory processes. The hotter the chili pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. The hottest varieties include habanero and Scotch bonnet peppers. Jalapenos are next in their heat and capsaicin content, followed by the milder varieties, including Spanish pimentos, and Anaheim and Hungarian cherry peppers. Capsaicin is being studied as an effective treatment for sensory nerve fiber disorders, including pain associated with arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy. When animals injected with a substance that causes inflammatory arthritis were fed a diet that contained capsaicin, they had delayed onset of arthritis, and also significantly reduced paw inflammation.
• Natural Pain Relief : Topical capsaicin is now a recognized treatment option for osteoarthritis pain. Several review studies of pain management for diabetic neuropathy have listed the benefits of topical capsaicin to alleviate disabling pain associated with this condition. In a double-blind placebo controlled trial, nearly 200 patients with psoriasis were given topical preparations containing either capsaicin or placebo. Patients who were given capsaicin reported significant improvement based on a severity score which traced symptoms associated with psoriasis. The side effect reported with topical capsaicin cream is a burning sensation at the area of application.
• Cardiovascular Benefits : Red chili peppers, such as cayenne, have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and platelet aggregation, while increasing the body's ability to dissolve fibrin, a substance integral to the formation of blood clots. Cultures where hot pepper is used liberally have a much lower rate of heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism. Spicing your meals with chili peppers may also protect the fats in your blood from damage by free radicals - a first step in the development of atherosclerosis. In a randomized, crossover study involving 27 healthy subjects (14 women, 13 men), eating freshly chopped chili was found to increase the resistance of blood fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, to oxidation (free radical injury).
• Clear Congestion : Capsaicin not only reduces pain, but its peppery heat also stimulates secretions that help clear mucus from your stuffed up nose or congested lungs.
• Boost Immunity : The bright color of red chili peppers signals its high content of beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A. Just two teaspoons of red chili peppers provide about 6% of the daily value for vitamin C coupled with more than 10% of the daily value for vitamin A. Often called the anti-infection vitamin, vitamin A is essential for healthy mucous membranes, which line the nasal passages, lungs, intestinal tract and urinary tract and serve as the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens.
• They are also good in other antioxidants such as vitamin-A, and flavonoids like β-carotene, α-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and cryptoxanthin. These antioxidant substances in capsicum help protect the body from injurious effects of free radicals generated during stress, diseases conditions.
• Chilies carry a good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. The human body use manganese as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.
• Chilies are also good in the B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that human body requires them from external sources to replenish.
• Help Stop the Spread of Prostate Cancer : Red chili peppers' capsaicin, the compound responsible for their pungent heat, stops the spread of prostate cancer cells through a variety of mechanisms, indicates a study published in the March 15, 2006 issue of Cancer Research . Capsaicin triggers suicide in both primary types of prostate cancer cell lines, those whose growth is stimulated by male hormones and those not affected by them. In addition, capsaicin lessens the expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), inhibits the ability of the most potent form of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, to activate PSA, and directly inhibits PSA transcription, causing PSA levels to plummet. The dose effective for test animals was equivalent to 400 milligrams of capsaicin, three times a week, for a man weighing about 200 pounds. After four weeks of receiving capsaicin, prostate cancer tumor growth and size decreased significantly in the animals. One warning: Excessive intake of hot chilies has been linked to stomach cancer, so don't go overboard.
• Digestion : stimulates stomach acid production.
• Prevent Stomach Ulcers : Chili peppers have a bad—and mistaken—reputation for contributing to stomach ulcers. Not only do they not cause ulcers, they can help prevent them by killing bacteria you may have ingested, while stimulating the cells lining the stomach to secrete protective buffering juices.
• Lose Weight : All that heat you feel after eating hot chili peppers takes energy—and calories to produce. Even sweet red peppers have been found to contain substances that significantly increase thermogenesis (heat production) and oxygen consumption for more than 20 minutes after they are eaten.
• Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes : Making chili pepper a frequently enjoyed spice in your Healthiest Way of Eating could help reduce your risk of hyperinsulinemia (high blood levels of insulin)—a disorder associated with type 2 diabetes. Plus, chili's beneficial effects on insulin needs get even better as body mass index (BMI, a measure of obesity) increases. In overweight people, not only do chili-containing meals significantly lower the amount of insulin required to lower blood sugar levels after a meal, but chili-containing meals also result in a lower ratio of C-peptide/ insulin, an indication that the rate at which the liver is clearing insulin has increased.