Chili Powder (Capsicum frutescens), Bird's Eye

ALSO KNOWN AS

Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum spp, Sweet Pepper, Cayenne, Ancho Pepper, African Pepper, Hot Pepper, Bird pepper, Tabasco pepper, and Louisiana long pepper.

INTRODUCTION

Chili is the Aztec name for Capsicum annuum. It has been used both as a food and a medicine by Native Americans for over 9000 years. The Capsicum family includes bell peppers, red peppers, paprika, and pimento, but the most famous medicinal members of the family are cayenne and chile. The tasty hot peppers have long been used in many of the world’s cuisines, but their greatest use in health comes from, surprisingly, conventional medicine.

CONSTITUENTS

1,8-cineole, 2-octanone, alanine, alpha-carotene, alpha-linoleic acid, alpha-phellandrene, arginine, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, betaine, campesterol, capsaicin, capsanthin, carvone, fiber, folacin, glutamic acid, hesperidin, isoleucine, isovaleric acid, kaempferol, manganese, myrcene, p-coumaric acid, potassium, proline, quercetin, scopoletin, solanine, thiamin, thujone, tryptophan, valine, zeaxanthin, zinc.

PARTS USED

The fruit, fresh or dried, chopped or powdered.

TYPICAL PREPARATIONS

Widely used in cooking. Most often compounded as a cream for external use, rarely brewed into a tea for internal use.

SUMMARY

The burning sensation of hot peppers is a reaction of the central nervous system to capsaicin; unlike horseradish, wasabi, garlic, ginger, and mustard, capsaicin only causes the sensation of damage, not real damage to tissues.

PRECAUTIONS

Pepper in any form may be an irritant to the mucous membranes and caution should be exercised when handling. Don’t touch your eyes with your hands after you have handled capsaicin in any form as painful burning may occur. Excessive use internally may result in gastro-intestinal upset.

For educational purposes only This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.