HELLO!
How are you all? How was the week?
I bet everyone is super excited about this weekend! Are you going to any Halloween parties? Justin and I are going straight 90’s and are dressing up as Doug and Patty Mayonnaise.
SO CUTE, right?
I’ll post pics next week for your viewing pleasure.
Since Halloween is on a Monday I am sure many of us will be struggle-bussing our way through Monday from all the weekend fun; that is why, this week I am talking Cayenne Pepper!
As many of you know spicy food causes people to sweat and sweat releases those nasty toxins in your body. Spicy food also causes people to drink more water (even though milk is the better choice…Don’t listen to Ron Burgundy “Milk, that was a bad choice”) which helps with dehydration and the pain of a hangover.
Not sold on cayenne yet?
I GOT YOU.
Cayenne is a member of the Capsicum family. Nearly all peppers are part of the Capsicum family.
Medical News Today explains that “Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne peppers, gives the powder its spiciness and is used to treat aches and pains of the muscles and joints. Cayenne pepper has also been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines to help treat circulatory problems and increase appetite.”
Let’s get more into the specifics of capsicum, the magical force behind cayenne pepper.
Photo Courtesy of Draxe
Organic Facts tell us that “capsaicin is contained both in the fleshy membrane of both sweet and hot peppers and in higher concentration in the seeds.”
“Using whole chili peppers from the Capsicum genus provides nutritional value. These peppers contain high amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A.
These vitamins are best obtained from the fresh fruit. Capsicum chili’s 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. Other important bioactive compounds contained in the it include alkaloids and tannins.4Though in lesser concentrations than vitamin C and vitamin A, these are showing potential in providing health benefits when consumed. Alkaloids work as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and may also be antioxidant.”
Additionally, Capsaicin has also been shown to “reduce the amount of substance P, a chemical that carries pain messages to the brain. With less substance P, fewer pain messages reach the brain and less pain is felt.”
Many Asian and South American countries have a long history of using cayenne pepper therapeutically. It is most known as the “master cleanser.”
The Chef at Hand tells us more on the background of this versatile spice.
“The cayenne pepper itself was named after a small town in French Guiana, where it is believed to have been originally cultivated.
Christopher Columbus set out to find a new route to India, a Mecca for exotic spices, but instead found the New World. Written and oral history tells us that he mistook cayenne peppers for black pepper – as unlikely as that is – and brought it back to Europe, where cayenne was substituted for the king of spices. It is believed that fellow explorer Ferdinand Magellan introduced cayenne peppers to Asia. Cayenne is now a staple in most Asian cuisines.”
Photo courtesy of The Healthy Life Company
Now that you have the IN on cayenne, more specifically capsaicin, take a look at all the different health benefits it has!
Health Benefits of Cayenne:
Burns calories by increasing total body temperature
Treats psoriasis
Has anti-fungal properties
Regulates blood flow
Relieves hangovers
Natural chemo preventive properties
Stimulates saliva production
Helps temporarily reduce congestion in the body
A natural anti-allergen
Improves skin and aging
Increases the metabolism
A natural body detox support
Eases muscular pain
Relieves menopausal symptoms
Fights inflammation
Anti-bacterial properties
Stimulates insulin to help hypoglycemia
Relieves joint pain
Lowers cholesterol
A natural topical remedy for snake bites and wounds.
Ever wonder why Indian people live longer and are so strong without the use of western medicine?
IT’S THE SPICES GUYS.
Check out some other spices and their benefits here and here and oh, can’t forget here!
Cooking/Health:
The number one way to get your daily dose of capsaicin is to eat or drink it.
You can always include the spice in your daily recipes like I do, here and here and here and here….the list goes on, I add cayenne/chili powder (same properties) to everything.
I don’t want to give you guy’s another boring detox cayenne pepper and vinegar drink. That’s old and has been done before. That’s why I created this FIRE HOT SMOOTHIE!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond milk
- ¼ cup frozen strawberries
- ½ cup frozen raspberries
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- A handful of ice
In a blender combine all the ingredients until desired consistency has been reached.
This is a fast and easy way to get that FIRE DOSE.
Have fun with it! Put as many add-on’s as you want into the smoothie. Get creative! Add some bananas in; or play around with some exotic fruits like guava or even mix in your favorite protein. The possibilities, as they say, are endless!
Beauty:
Style Craze has done it again with their amazing beauty treatments with spices.
“Cayenne Pepper is known to promote hair growth and render the desired shine to dull and lifeless hair. It does so by improving blood circulation in the hair scalp. So, all those people out there who believe that they are going bald or want more glossiness in their hair, cayenne pepper could be what you were always looking for.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
- Half a liter olive oil
Mix ingredients and keep this mixture in a dark bottle away from sunlight. Once you have stored this mixture for 12-15 days, it is now ready to use. Oil your scalp and hair with this mixture, wrap a hot towel over your hair for an hour, then shampoo and condition your hair. Make sure you shampoo all the applied mixture away. Doing so on a regular basis will bring more volume and shine to your hair over time!”
Have a spicy halloween ya’ll! xx
