Monday, June 27, 2011

Hot Peppers

Hot peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin (or more commonly, capsicum).  This is the chemical that makes the peppers hot, and the more capsiacin in the pepper the hotter it will be.  Research has been done which indicates that capsicum helps wounds heal more quickly and also deadens the nerves.  Capsicum is a topical anesthetic, the effects of which can last weeks.

Note that the researches were done with pure, concentrated capsicum, not whole peppers.

Other possible uses:  Numerous.  The only one I've used it for is above.

Interactions:  Be careful when using this with blood thinners or anti-coagulants, also blood pressure medications.  It might increase the effectiveness of the medications (which really suggests to me that it could be used for this, but science would not agree with me).

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