All about hot peppers

Hot pepper, a spice that has become popular in the West, can enhance any dish with its intense flavor. Despite its pungent heat, which burns the mouth and can cause burning symptoms, its appeal is irresistible, and over time, we come to tolerate it better.

But did you know that chillies are also considered medicinal plants? Indeed, many vegetables contribute to our well-being, and cayenne pepper is no exception. Although it is mainly consumed in cooking, there are many other ways to use it for its health benefits, including external application to the skin. Find out in this article how this powerful spice can be a valuable ally for your health.

History

• The ancestor of the chili pepper as we know it comes from wild plants from Mexico and Central America called Chiltepin. This plant lives in shady, humid climates under the vegetation of trees, shrubs or taller plants. The fruit is much smaller than today's hot peppers, oval-shaped and bright red when ripe. On the Scoville scale, it ranges from 50000 to 100,000 units.

• Archaeologists have discovered that chillies were domesticated and used in a variety of ways by Mesoamerican civilizations almost 8000 years ago. In its natural state, chillies are spread mainly by birds, which disperse the seeds after digesting them. This is because chillies contain capsaicin, a substance that causes an unpleasant burning sensation in mammals, but does not affect birds. According to biologists, this characteristic has enabled chillies to spread rapidly over a vast area of South America.

• Aztec populations began cultivating this plant species very early on, diversifying their crops and creating numerous varieties thanks to human intervention. This gave rise to the wide range of chillies we know today, including peppers, also known as piments in Quebec. It is assumed that chillies were consumed in the wild before being gradually integrated into sedentary agriculture. Chillies were a favourite food of the Maya, Inca and Aztec peoples of Central America.

• Thousands of years ago, indigenous peoples incorporated chillies into their diet. Over time, they began to plant the seeds near their homes and cultivate them to enrich their dishes with spice and flavor.

• Cayenne pepper, originally from South and Central America, takes its name from the capital of French Guiana, where it was discovered by the first Spanish explorers. A beautiful legend has it that King Cépérou, chief of the Galibis, had a son named Cayenne. King Cépérou decided that the village at the foot of the hill on which he lived should be called Cayenne like his son.

• During his expedition, Christopher Columbus took a Spanish doctor with him, who brought the spice back to Europe in the hope of arousing the interest of his contemporaries. Unfortunately, they were initially reluctant, finding the pepper too hot and less aromatically interesting than pepper, which had been used for centuries. What's more, the pepper trade had already developed several centuries earlier, ensuring the spice's wide distribution and integration into European culinary traditions.

• It was not until the economic crisis of pepper, due to the cutting off of trade routes, that Europeans, particularly the Spanish, gave pepper another chance. This crisis, combined with the high taxes on spices that encouraged maritime trade, enabled the pepper to continue its journey to India via the Portuguese colonies. The Indians quickly adopted the spice, which became an emblematic element of their cuisine. A few decades later, it was China's turn to discover chillies and incorporate them into its cuisine. Eventually, chili made its way around the world, becoming one of the most widely consumed spices.

• The Scoville scale, created by American pharmacologist Wilbur Scoville in 1912, measures the pungency of chillies and similar substances. The scale is based on the concentration of capsaicin, the chemical compound responsible for the burning sensation in chillies. Capsaicin is found mainly in the seeds and whitish ribs of chillies. Capsaicin concentration varies according to variety, stage of fruit development, climatic conditions and cultivation techniques.

Spirituality

• Hot peppers are masculine, with the planet Mars and the elements fire.

• There are many African magic rituals involving hot pepper to ensure marital fidelity, love and attachment. It can also be used as an aphrodisiac.

• In magic, Guinea pepper has a certain cultural popularity in Africa, but in my opinion, you can take any hot pepper and get pretty much the same magical properties.

• It has the power to break any curse, spiritual attack, evil eye or negative entity.

• It helps repel negative vibes and protect a person or place. How to use it? You can take a bath with chili pepper, or to protect an area, prepare an infusion of chili pepper and place it in the room. The infusion should be repeated once a week.

• It removes blockages and obstacles in our lives.

• It eliminates nightmares while you're asleep, for a more peaceful sleep.

• It promotes good opportunities, success and abundance.

• It motivates us and brings the necessary vigor for what we want to achieve. It also brings strength and courage to face anything.  

• Hot pepper is associated with the god Thor, Zeus and all the deities of war.

Medicine

In Chinese medicine, hot pepper is associated with the Heart and Spleen meridians, two yin organs. In addition to being a spice, hot pepper is also an Ayurvedic medicinal plant. It is particularly beneficial for people who are always cold, who have cold extremities and who are sluggish. It helps make the mind more lively and alert. Hot in nature, chili detoxifies the stomach and the whole body in its own way.

• Aids weight loss by accelerating fat burning and making you feel full faster, thus acting as an appetite suppressant.

• A tonic, it helps revitalize the body.

• A thermal regulator, hot pepper warms and spreads its heat throughout the body.

• A good aperitif, it aids digestion and relieves bloating.

• Diuretic and sudorific, it helps eliminate excess fluids and toxins from the body.

• Helps blood circulation disorders, promoting blood circulation by dilating blood vessels, comforting cold hands and feet and relieving hemorrhoids and chilblains. It provides a sensation of warmth after exposure to cold, stimulating blood and heart flow to the extremities and central organs.

• An aphrodisiac, it enhances venous return for men and lubrication for women, increases testosterone, stimulates endorphins (well-being hormone) and dopamine (pleasure hormone). The capsaicin present in hot peppers is responsible for the euphoric effect, stimulating the release of endorphins.

• Helps locomotor disorders such as cramps, sprains, strains, muscle strains, rheumatism, gout, rheumatic neuralgia, lumbago, local paralysis and arthritis, as hot pepper is an excellent anti-inflammatory and analgesic.

• Against intermittent fevers, by promoting perspiration, which can help lower body temperature during a fever.

• Against hair loss, by activating blood circulation in the scalp, it fortifies the manes and promotes growth.

  
  

• Antioxidant, it reduces body aging.

• Unblocks sinuses, helps reduce nasal inflammation by facilitating drainage of nasal secretions.

Uses

Dry chili powder

It's ideal for use as a spice in our dishes or mixed with oil for external application. However, be careful not to touch your face or sensitive areas, as this can cause a burning sensation. Be sure to wash your hands after applying the oil. This oil can also be beneficial for the hair, strengthening it.

Herbal tea

Adding hot pepper to other herbal teas can add an interesting taste without being too strong, and allows you to enjoy its benefits in synergy with the other herbs added.

Fire cider

This cider, a medicinal vinegar prepared with warming ingredients, offers an accessible and effective solution for coping with the winter months. With several recipes readily available online, it's a valuable ally for boosting our immune system, warming our body and revitalizing our energy. Its properties can also help relieve the symptoms of flu, colds, bronchitis and other seasonal ailments.

Once prepared, this blend can be consumed directly as a syrup or used as a seasoning in various dishes such as soups, herbal teas, and many others. Let your imagination run wild, as the possible uses are many and varied.

Contraindications

• Do not use hot peppers if you already have ulcers or hemorrhoids. It will cause pain and itching. On the contrary, it protects the stomach from peptic ulcers by reducing gastric acid production.

• Excessive consumption of chillies can also cause heartburn, irritation and burning sensations during bowel movements.

• Some studies have shown that too much chili can aggravate inflammation in joint diseases such as gout.

Sources

• https://booksofdante.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/le-piment-capsicum-annuum/

• https://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fr/encyclopedie-produits/2767595-piment-de-cayenne/

• http://www.ville-cayenne.fr/un-peu-dhistoire/#:~:text=D'o%C3%B9%20vient%20le%20nom,aider%20%C3%A0%20conqu%C3%A9rir%20son%20c%C5%93ur.

• https://www.epices-roellinger.com/fr/page/histoire-piment#:~:text=Les%20populations%20azt%C3%A8ques%20travaill%C3%A8rent%20tr%C3%A8s,le%20nom%20de%20piment%20au

• https://www.forceetsaveur.com/le-piment-chiltepin-lancetre-des-piments/