Cayenne

[hibisanpo]

I have obsessed with putting cayenne in EVERYTHING! I love it, it warms me up and makes me eat things a little but slower. I am wondering if this spice
has any other health benefits.

And, are there any spices that are particularly beneficial? For instance, I heard somewhere that cinnamon was good for you (though i forgot why) and since then, I always try to get a few sprinkles a day.

[garden granny]

I love cayenne also, I put it in my green smoothies along with some raw cacoa powder.

[rawstrength]

Most spices are really good for you. Their concentrated flavor means that they are also concentrated in nutrients and anti-oxidants.
Calcium, for example, is very high in calcium AND it is good at lowering your blood sugar, making it an excellent choice for diabetics. Cayenne is absolutely really super good for you too. It has a substance called capsaicin in it that prevents ulcers, stops heart disease and REDUCES PAIN. If you ever are tempted to take some nasty, liver-destroying advil or some aspirin, just reach for the cayenne instead! From www.whfoods.org :
Health Benefits

Cinnamon's unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark. These oils contain active components called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances.

Anti-Clotting Actions

Cinnamaldehyde (also called cinnamic aldehyde) has been well-researched for its effects on blood platelets. Platelets are constituents of blood that are meant to clump together under emergency circumstances (like physical injury) as a way to stop bleeding, but under normal circumstances, they can make blood flow inadequate if they clump together too much. The cinnaldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets. (The way it accomplishes this health-protective act is by inhibiting the release of an inflammatory fatty acid called arachidonic acid from platelet membranes and reducing the formation of an inflammatory messaging molecule called thromboxane A2.) Cinnamon's ability to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes also puts it in the category of an "anti-inflammatory" food that can be helpful in lessening inflammation.

Anti-Microbial Activity
Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida. In laboratory tests, growth of yeasts that were resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication fluconazole was often (though not always) stopped by cinnamon extracts.

Cinnamon's antimicrobial properties are so effective that recent research demonstrates this spice can be used as an alternative to traditional food preservatives. In a study, published in the August 2003 issue of the International Journal of Food Microbiology, the addition of just a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to 100 ml (approximately 3 ounces) of carrot broth, which was then refrigerated, inhibited the growth of the foodborne pathogenic Bacillus cereus for at least 60 days. When the broth was refrigerated without the addition of cinnamon oil, the pathogenic B. cereus flourished despite the cold temperature. In addition, researchers noted that the addition of cinnamon not only acted as an effective preservative but improved the flavor of the broth.

Blood Sugar Control
Seasoning a high carb food with cinnamon can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Researchers measured how quickly the stomach emptied after 14 healthy subjects ate 300 grams (1.2 cups) of rice pudding alone or seasoned with 6 grams (1.2 teaspoons) of cinnamon. Adding cinnamon to the rice pudding lowered the gastric emptying rate from 37% to 34.5% and significantly lessened the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. Am J Clin Nutr. 2 007 Jun;85(6):1552-6.
Cinnamon may also significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. Both test tube and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells' ability to use glucose. Studies to confirm cinnamon's beneficial actions in humans are currently underway
with the most recent report coming from researchers from the US Agricultural Research Service, who have shown that less than half a teaspoon per day of cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels in persons with type 2 diabetes. Their study included 60 Pakistani volunteers with type 2 diabetes who were not taking insulin. Subjects were divided into six groups. For 40 days, groups 1, 2 and 3 were given 1, 3, or 6 grams per day of cinnamon while groups 4, 5 and 6 received placebo capsules. Even the lowest amount of cinnamon, 1 gram per day (approximately ¼ to ½ teaspoon), produced an approximately 20% drop in blood sugar; cholesterol and triglycerides were lowered as well. When daily cinnamon was stopped, blood sugar levels began to increase.
Test tube, animal and human studies have all recently investigated cinnamon's ability to improve insulin activity, and thus our cells' ability to absorb and use glucose from the blood.

By enhancing insulin signaling, cinnamon can prevent insulin resistance even in animals fed a high-fructose diet! A study published in Hormone Metabolism Research showed that when rats fed a high-fructose diet were also given cinnamon extract, their ability to respond to and utilize glucose (blood sugar) was improved so much that it was the same as that of rats on a normal (control) diet.

Cinnamon's Scent Boosts Brain Function

Not only does consuming cinnamon improve the body's ability to utilize blood sugar, but just smelling the wonderful odor of this sweet spice boosts brain activity!

Research led by Dr. P. Zoladz and presented April 24, 2004, at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, in Sarasota, FL, found that chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling cinnamon enhanced study participants' cognitive processing.

In addition to its unique essential oils, cinnamon is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, iron and calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber in cinnamon is important and can be helpful for the prevention of several different conditions.
Health Benefits of Cayenne
Fight Inflammation
All chili peppers, including cayenne, contain capsaicin, which in addition to giving cayenne its characteristic heat, is a potent inhibitor of substance P, a neuropeptide associated with inflammatory processes. The hotter the chili pepper, the more capsaicin it contains.
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 has been shown in studies to be an effective treatment for cluster headaches and 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.

Cardiovascular Benefits
Cayenne and other red chili peppers 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 peppers like cayenne are used liberally have a much lower rate of heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism.

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. Capsaicin is similar to a compound found in many cold remedies for breaking up congestion, except that capsaicin works much faster.

Boost Immunity
Cayenne peppers' bright red color signals its high content of beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A. Just two teaspoons of cayenne pepper provide 29.4% of the daily value for vitamin A. Often called the anti-infection vitamin, vitamin A is essential for healthy epithelial tissues including the mucous membranes that line the nasal passages, lungs, intestinal tract and urinary tract and serve as the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens.

Prevent Stomach Ulcers
Chili peppers like cayenne have a bad--and undeserved--reputation for contributing to stomach ulcers. Not only do they not cause ulcers, these hot peppers may help prevent them by killing bacteria you may have ingested, while powerfully stimulating the cells lining the stomach to secrete protective buffering juices that prevent ulcer formation. The use of cayenne pepper is actually associated with a reduced risk of stomach ulcers.

[Frugal Raw]

Cayenne is also good to add to a tea when you have a sore throat.

[girl81]

Is the dry powdered form you buy in the grocery store raw?

[hibisanpo]

good question.

for me, i don't concern myself with spices being raw.
I do buy organic spices though... the flavor is really there,
unlike the non-orgainc stuff.

[Rawmichelle]

Hi, i have a small jar of organic cayenne and i love it!!! I think it really can be used in almost anything. I just recently added it to raw chocolate pudding. Gave it a good kick! Throw it in smoothies, salads. I am so glad i discovered cayenne!
Rawmichelle

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

I'm pretty sure it improves circulation. I love it on my kale salad!

[jacsam]

Our family has been using cayenne for years. If you feel just that funny little feeling that you have a cold coming on....take cayenne and it will usually nip it in the bud. We just put a little bit in a cup with just enough water in it to take one big gulp. Yes, it is hot but not as bad as you'd think it would be and it goes away quickly. You can take this as frequently as every 10 minutes or just every half hour before you finally go to bed and usually in the morning you don't have that feeling like something is coming on. Oh, by the way, just know that not only is it hot going in but it can also be hot coming out....sometimes that can freak people out. We've used cayenne for many, many other things of which I'm not going to go into detail right now but if I could choose only one herb, it would most likely be cayenne. Judith:)

[girl81]

Thank you Judith :)
Have you noticed it increasing your metabolism?

[Eva]

Prevent Stomach Ulcers
Chili peppers like cayenne have a bad--and undeserved--reputation for contributing to stomach ulcers. Not only do they not cause ulcers, these hot peppers may help prevent them by killing bacteria you may have ingested, while powerfully stimulating the cells lining the stomach to secrete protective buffering juices that prevent ulcer formation. The use of cayenne pepper is actually associated with a reduced risk of stomach ulcers.

I would just like to note that I have had (still have) an ulcer, and it's a lot more complicated than this. For the many people who already have ulcers (and may not even know it), cayenne and other spices can cause one that has healed to reopen or irritate it big time. Even parsley and garlic can do the same... And no, it's definitely true that they don't cause ulcers, but if they cause them to act up, it can be just as bad.

I'm just pointing this out because there are people out there who may have come to raw to cure stomach problems, that don't even know they have an ulcer! :)

[ciarac]

I'm with you on this, I loooveee cayenne.
I wrote an article for a raw food site (its not online yet) about cayenne:

"Flavorful, spicy and capable of clearing your sinuses within a blink, cayenne pepper is used in dishes all around the world, and consumed by those of us who are willing to run the risk of a burnt pallet.

The darling of my salads, also goes by the names of African Pepper, Bird Pepper, Chili Pepper, Goat's Pod, Mexican Chilies, Paprika, Red Pepper, Tabasco Pepper and Zanzibar Pepper. One can come across mild tasting cayenne and strong tasting, and it is the strong tasting which is really worth becoming addicted to. So, try many brands until you come across one with which a mere sprinkle is enough to make your eyes water.

The colorful pepper actually has numerous health benefits, a number of which we shall cover here.

The spiciness of cayenne is caused by a substance which it contains called capsaicin. Capsaicin has strong nasal passage clearing abilities and so cayenne is especially helpful to those with colds or problems with their sinuses. As previously stated, the hotter and stronger the cayenne, the better, because it is the capsaicin which gives that hot flavor.

Cayenne is a known fat burning agent. At Oxford Polytechnic in England, they found that spicy foods, including cayenne, boost metabolic rate, which can lead to fat loss. In their study which brought them to this conclusion, it was found that their volunteers burnt up to 86 calories more each day with the inclusion of cayenne in their diet.

Cayenne has been shown to dramatically ease the discomfort of dyspepsia, which is a pain or uncomfortable feeling in the upper middle region of the abdomen. Symptoms of dyspepsia are bloating, burping, nausea and a burning pain in the stomach, though one symptom make occur independent of the others. After a 5 week study, a group of patients which were in the non-placebo cayenne group claimed a 60% decrease in their dyspepsia related discomforts and pains.

For those converting to the raw food diet from the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet), you will most likely be experiencing digestive problems, for which in the past you may have taken all sorts of medication. In fact, you may successfully switch over to the inclusion of cayenne in your diet. Cayenne helps the body to create hydrochloric acid, thus aiding digestion. Cayenne also can rebuild the lining of the stomach and increase peristalsis.

Cayenne’s beautiful red color is due to its high beta carotene content. Beta carotene is the precursor to Vitamin A, just two teaspoons of cayenne providing 29.4% of the daily recommended dosage. Vitamin A helps strengthen the immune system and so it is advised to up your cayenne intake in times of stress or if you feel an infection coming on. "