Capsicum Health Benefits
The health benefits of capsicum include relief from stomach issues, back pain, muscle spasms, headaches, cancer, skin aging, peptic ulcer, menopausal problems, lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. It has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, and may also provide relief from pain related to arthritis. Capsicum also helps with fibromyalgia and psoriasis.
What is Capsicum?
An ancestral spice, Capsicum (peppers) is a diverse and pungent edible fruit from any of the varieties within the Capsicum genus. With the known popular use of capsicum, multiculturally, and for generations around the globe, interest is developing in knowing about the medicinal benefits of this natural plant food and culinary spice.
Many people are familiar with the use of chili peppers in the preparation of spicy meals. What is it that makes the chili pepper spicy? The answer is capsaicin. An odorless, tasteless phytochemical and producer of the chili pepper’s heat.
With the varieties of chili peppers available, it is important to know that the capsaicin content of each type of chili pepper varies and it is possible to get less heat and still receive the health benefits of the chili peppers’ active ingredient capsaicin. Capsaicin is found in the fleshy membrane of both sweet and hot peppers and in higher concentration in the seeds. This natural fruit may be used fresh or dried as a culinary spice, added to teas or taken in capsules to reap its medicinal benefits.
Capsicum Nutrition Facts
Using whole chili peppers from the Capsicum genus provides nutritional value, including high amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A.
These vitamins are best obtained from the fresh fruit. Capsicum chili harvested when red rather than orange and yellow have higher concentrations of these beneficial nutrients. Other beneficial bioactive components of the capsicum chili are the content of flavonoids. Alkaloids and tannins are some of the other important bioactive compounds contained in it. Alkaloids work as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antioxidant agents.
Health Benefits of Capsicum
Adding capsicum to your daily diet may provide great health benefits against many ailments. Let us look at the benefits in detail.
Treats Diabetic Neuropathy
A disease that often produces neurogenic pain is diabetes. Capsicum is shown to have a beneficial effect on diabetic neuropathic pain when applied topically. It works to deaden cutaneous nerve endings and reduces the pain.
Hypoglycemic
With the worldwide prevalence of diabetes, the consideration of capsicum as hypoglycemic medicine has provoked research into this matter. Some studies have indicated, though not yet concluded that it may stimulate insulin production which results in lower blood glucose. This would determine a possibility of capsicum beneficial in preventing the onset of type II diabetes and its potential complications. The hypoglycemic benefits of capsicum are most concentrated when it is green.
Forms Mucilage
Capsicum contains tannins. Tannins are astringent and often considered for their benefits when treating gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea, dysentery, and other microbial disorders. Gastric mucilage acts to protect the gastric lining and prevent peptic ulcer development. Studies suggest that it acts as a mucilage by increasing the production of gastric mucus and help treat peptic ulcer disease. Intake of capsicum may increase the nasal drainage due to the presence of phytochemical capsaicin.
Also, for this reason, it is beneficial to avoid touching eyes and bodily mucus membranes during the preparation of capsicum peppers and to wash hands thoroughly after preparation to avoid transferring volatile oils containing capsicum to these sensitive areas.
Improves Heart Health
Studies on flavonoids have suggested that they are beneficial towards preventing coronary heart disease. Capsicum is both warming and vasodilative. A suggested effect of the vasodilative properties of capsicum is the improvement of hypotension and decreased heart rate. Vasodilatation allows for improved blood flow resulting in better oxygenation of organ tissues. This is most likely due to the tachykinins, a known bioactive ingredient in capsicum.
Boosts Immunity
Capsicum contains vitamin C, which is valued as an immune supportive bioactive phytochemical. It helps in strengthening the immune system, repairing damaged brain tissues, and lowering the risk of oxidative stress, pediatric asthma, cancer, and improving bone health.
Relieves Menopausal Symptoms
Menopausal symptoms may also be relieved by the consumption of flavonoid-containing fruit such as the capsicum chili.
