What Are the Health Benefits of Cayenne Peppers?

Cayenne peppers can spice up your health as well as your salsas and ethnic dishes. These capsicums can influence your wellness, from weight loss to chest colds.

Weight Loss

Cayenne peppers can pep up your metabolism, temporarily producing more heat. This can help promote weight loss.

Pain Relief

When used topically, cayenne peppers relieve pain. Capsaicin, the heat-causing substance in cayenne pepper, interferes with substance P, one of the chemicals that tell your brain that you're in pain.

Vitamin A

One teaspoon of cayenne (red) peppers have 749 IU of vitamin A, a vitamin that helps with vision and bone growth.

Stomach Ulcers

It may seem counter-intuitive, but eating cayenne peppers may actual heal and prevent rather than cause stomach ulcers. The theory is that cayenne peppers may kill bacteria while causing the stomach to release protective juices.

Congestion

The heat of the cayenne pepper may help clear congestion due to a cold or allergies by stimulating secretions.

References

• NYU Langone Medical Center: Cayenne: Disease, Condition, & Injury Fact Sheets
• University of Maryland Medical Center: Cayenne
• WHFoods: Cayenne Pepper

Resources

• Spices, pepper, red or cayenne: NDB No: 02031