Cayenne Pepper
Health Benefits

Cayenne Pepper Health: Immune Boost, Pain Relief, and More

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.

Sore Throat

7 User Reviews
5 star (7) 
  100%

Posted by Fey (Hilo, Hawaii) on 09/16/2010
★★★★★

Hi I am a nobody college student. I have had a sore throat for two days and it has been hurting like none other. Web Md suggests warm salt water and that will last you some 5 minuets. Google pointed me here. CAYENNE pepper mixed with warm water and gargled appears to be the top pick and it is for a reason. 2 minuets after the taste of pepper left my mouth I was so much better. Try it, it works so well.


Sore Throat
Posted by Peggy (Blairsville, GA) on 05/29/2009
★★★★★

I had a horrible sore throat and read on EC about using cayenne pepper. I actually had some of the full peppers. I got of cup of water, 3 chicken boullion cubes, and a couple of the peppers and heated it up in the microwave and drank this. It gave me immediate relief. Tasted like chicken soup (HOT!!) It did burn a little but a soothing kind of burn. I have told everybody about this. I know you can use Hot sauce, but I wanted to use the pepper pods. Thanks to EC and everyone that is trying to use herbal, natural remedies.


Sore Throat
Posted by Dan Rodriguez (Clarksville, TN) on 04/16/2009
★★★★★

Cayenne Pepper is the man!!!!!!!!! I love it. I drink it as a tea on a daily basis. When I have sore throat, I mixed it with H2O2 and salt and gargle with it. It kills anything that is not supposed to be there. I've got so used to it that I can actually placed it on my tongue and swallow it like candy powder. ( Don't try this with large amounts at first, you'll get a good burn) It is awesome.


Sore Throat
Posted by Patrick (Conowingo, Maryland) on 07/17/2007
★★★★★

Hello, I've been visiting your site for a while, but I would like to be added to the "YEA'S" on a few home remedies.

Cayenne Pepper for Sore Throat. This is how I first found your site. Nothing is worse than a sore throat, last year I had a killer sore throat with no other symptoms. After reading about cayenne pepper I decided to gargle it. Gargling a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in about 6 oz of warm water every couple of hours did a great job of healing my sore throat really quickly. However it was really nasty and made me dry heave a couple times. I just discovered a new sore throat yesterday. This time I am simply warming up about a cup of water in the microwave, adding some honey for taste, and dashing in a good amount of cayenne pepper (3-4 dashes). I am not gargling with it, because I'm just not good at gargling, So I let each sip sit in the back of my mouth a bit and then I swallow it. It actually taste pretty good. It's like tea with a little kick!

Apple Cider Vinegar for Acne. My wife has always had trouble spots for acne right on her cheek next to her ears. Apple Cider Vinegar is the only thing that has had a real effect. She applies it once or twice a day, with a cotton ball. Great results. We also just received Apple Cider Vinegar capsule that we can take to avoid drinking it. They are available at GNC, but we order them online for cheaper.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Sunburn. I recently went boating and got sunburn on both my ankles from sitting funny. When I got home both ankles seemed to have about the same amount of burn, however the right ankle was hurting me slightly more at the time. I decided to try an experiment. I applied Apple Cider Vinegar to only my right ankle and left the left ankle untreated. I simply applied Apple cider vinegar with a Cotton ball 2 or 3 times a day. After the first night, my right ankle was in a great deal less pain than my left ankle. I kept applying it to my right ankle and by the second day there was no pain at all, while my left ankle was severely painful and sensitive to touch. I stopped applying apple cider vinegar to my right ankle after about 3 days because it just didn't hurt. My left ankle continued to hurt until day 7 when it the skin started peeling. The skin on my right ankle did not start peeling until day 9. Everyone should try this to convince themselves that Apple Cider Vinegar really works!


Sore Throat
Posted by Stacee (Rexburg, ID) on 01/17/2007
★★★★★

Wow! This works so well! I have spent the last 4 days in be with strep that even antibiotics hadn't seemed to help. I was taking everything I could think of to make it go away. My throat remained swollen and painful. After not being able to crawl out of bed for 4 days I drug myself to the computer and found this site.I tried your cayenne pepper remedy and it was instant relief! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! I can actually swallow now with out feeling like my head will explode. After not getting any sleep because of the pain I am looking forward to getting a full night of sleep. Thanks again for the great cure! PS the cayenne also worked on the migraine that I have had along with the strep, so I had 2 cures for the price of one!


Sore Throat
Posted by Kendall (Atlantic, IA) on 03/03/2006
★★★★★

This worked great, i could feel the difference within ten minutes of my first time gargling.


Sore Throat
Posted by Edwin (Brooklyn, NY)
★★★★★

I tried gargling 1 tbls of cayenne pepper with very warm water for about 10 min straight and it helped me so much with my sore throat and cough.


Stops Excessive Menstrual Bleeding

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Victoria (Charleston, West Virginia) on 11/26/2008
★★★★★

I was on the depo shot for a while and it messed me up bad, I was having my periods for 6 months straight no days off, then it went to having them every 2 weeks after i stopped and no doctor could help me, so my aunt told me to try Cayenne Pepper because she does the whole herb thing, and it worked...it completly stopped my period and after I took it 4 days later I got pregnant which was what I wanted because I couldnt stay off my period long enough to get pregnant...I love that stuff now it stopped it within 2 days

EC: More information about Lupron Depot here: http://www.lupron.com/


Strep Throat

3 User Reviews
5 star (3) 
  100%

Posted by The Vegan Herbal Lover (Los Angeles, USA) on 04/10/2023
★★★★★

Cayenne for Strep Throat

I don't remember how I happened upon this forum for cayenne for strep. I thought I had searched “what herb kills strep”. But now looking back none of the many articles that initially come up even mention cayenne as an option. I drink cayenne lemon water daily and have been for years so when my 14 yo daughter encountered strep throat, maybe this prompted me to eventually search specifically for the effects of cayenne on strep. But I'm glad I did! I initially gave her most of the recommended remedies listed in all the articles from cinnamon to gargling with sea salt water mixed with the many recommended essential oils with MINIMAL results.

My daughter also slept most of the day these first two days and ate and drank very little as she was in constant miserable pain whenever she swallowed. Her sleeping so much actually became a concern as lethargy is not listed as a common symptom of strep.

So we were very relieved after discovering and implementing cayenne as an option. I made a gargle for her that consisted of hot lemon water and added sea salt and as much cayenne as she could stand. After 1 day of gargling about 4 times (3 hours apart), my daughter felt immediate relief and was able to drink an entire smoothie that night. As she gargled she noticed white cloudy stuff the mucus filled water she spit out. We noticed the white patches on her throat disappearing after every session. We wondered if what was coming out was the actual white stuff on her throat, but couldn't be sure.

However as the patches decreased the pain also drastically decreased and by the end of day two of gargling all the pain was gone. She continued gargling 3 times daily for two weeks however even though she was pain free as we treated the cayenne like a medical antibiotic. I had read to do this to ensure the virus is completely gone. So CAYENNE CAYENNE CAYENNE FOLKS!!!! And shame on all those articles for not including this as a natural home remedy option for strep!!

Cayenne has done so much for me from detoxing me as well as regulating my blood sugar. It has also worked in lowering my sisters blood pressure.


Strep Throat
Posted by Gerry (Seattle) on 10/23/2006
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Cayenne pepper cured a sore throat that had expanded and totally shut down all breathing including through the nose and mouth. I take 1/2 tsp of 90k heat units of cayenne daily in my protein drink along with several fruits and herbs etc. This past Friday night my throat became very sore and I could not swallow. The throat swelled and totally closed off. Breathing through the nostrils ceased as well. I put my fingers down my throat to give a convulsive reaction and try to get some air. My wife was going to call 911 and I waved her off. Finally after several tries to throw up I was able to get a little air. I had my wife drive to the store for some expectorants/lozenges etc. (the usual things we try).

I jumped on the net and found your site about the cayenne and gargle. I could not gargle so put 1/2 tsp of cayenne in warm water and sipped it down.

The breathing started to come back almost instantly.

After 3 cups of 1.2 tsp each, my breathing was back to normal and I was able to sleep for 5 hours without any discomfort. When I woke up, my throat was still a little sore so I drank a cup of "brew" 5 times during the day. The breathing was fine and the sore throat was gone but I still had some "cold" symptoms.

After two days I feel great. Being able to take a deep unrestricted breath has never felt so good.I noticed on your responses I was reading some people say they "sprinkle" some on and it doesn't work. Others are afraid to swallow some for fear it will hurt them.

Cayenne is one of the best herbs we have and has many uses. I would not use less than 1/2 tsp in a cup of water either warm or cold it still works.

Cayenne will heal internal bleeding and ulcers. It helps the heart and helps clear the arteries. Next time you have a cut and are bleeding take cayenne and "sprinkle" it liberally over the cut and watch it stop bleeding almost instantaneously. A great drink for hiking or driving long distances is about 20 ounces of fresh grape juice that you make in the blender and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne. It takes a short while to get used to it BUT you will not fall asleep at the wheel and it is great for extra energy on a hike. We have used it for years.

I am glad I found your site and kick myself I did not think to put cayenne in water and drink it myself when I was in total oxygen deprivation.

A little trick to cut down on the really "hot" feel when swallowing cayenne:

Take a couple of swallows of cayenne then immediately close your mouth and do not breathe either through your nose or mouth. Wait about 10 seconds and drink a couple of swallows of water etc.

Also the "cayenne heat" slows down with each swallow until after awhile you barely notice it. Please notice that the store bought cayenne in the bottles is normally 5k heat units and some from health food stores is 40k heat units and some will be 90k heat units.

You can also special order it up to over 200k heat units. If you are using 5k heat units it will take a little more to get the desired results. As for swallowing cayenne, it is good stuff for your system and has vitamin "C" to boot.


Strep Throat
Posted by Penny (USA) on 02/01/2006
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

If it is too late, as in strep, it takes gargling with cayenne in water every fifteen minutes until it goes, and be patient, because it GOES.

I haven't had a sore throat take hold in 15 years or more, though many have tried to start up, which also is a way for many illnesses to sprout.

I generally will gargle cayenne in water at whatever strength I like and do it as much as I can until I tire of it, and then repeat every fifteen minutes, each time swallowing a tiny bit real slowly (not necessary).

It only stings the tongue a little when spitting out, otherwise, no discomfort, you can get used to even the swallowing part when you see how well it works.

I use the cheap Mex. stuff, but also keep on hand in refir the pesticide free stuff from health store.

Cayenne is a miracle cure for ulcers and so many other conditions, plus aids assimilation of nutrients and vitamins. I will keep cayenne in water in the bathroom in case I get up in the night, so I can gargle once in the night if I am very sick, but if it is in water, it will go bad quickly and needs to be put back in refridge in morning.

Afterwards suck on a clove (see below). I have never seen a sore throat that won't succumb to it.


Take Capsules With Food

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Michelle (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 08/20/2011
★★★★★

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I know that the cayanne can be upsetting to those who first take it.... But read the book Left for Dead by Dick Quinn and it is amazing the results.....

I've taken it as a supplement for years and once I took 2 pills 180 heat units and it dilated every thing so much that I had to lie on the bed and felt sick. So that's not what I ever did again...

Take a pill with food and you will feel a warmth come over you but not any discomfort.

Replied by Cayenne1
(Fl)
02/22/2016

HI Michelle.

I highly recommend taking the Cayenne Pepper in Water rather than the pills, as the pills dissolve in your stomach, causing stomach upset. If you take it with warm water, it goes right to the heart with NO stomach upset.


Ulcers

4 User Reviews
5 star (4) 
  100%

Posted by Mark (Newton Abbot, Devon, Uk) on 10/31/2012
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Cayenne does indeed heal ulcers.

Mine were caused after injuring my back and taking ibuprofen, the ulcers came on a few months after them. I tried cabbage, pine nut oil, oats etc. etc., these things helped a little but none of them were able to get me back to my previous perfect health.

At first I was a little unsure about taking cayenne as I thought it wold burn and make things far worse, but this turned out not to be the case,

The little jar of shop bought cayenne had been sat in the spice cupboard beckoning me for weeks, eventually, after months of ulcer discomfort I was forced to act, I only took about an 1/8 tsp. 2 -3 times daily.

I noticed improvements after day 1, about a week or 10 days later my pain and discomfort had all gone and has never returned.

I still take a pinch daily for its health benefits, it also cured my coccyx pain after my back injury.


Ulcers
Posted by Gareth Arthur (Northampton, United Kingdom) on 07/02/2012
★★★★★

Great site EarthClinic, what about a must have box of basics that every house should have and a list of wholesome foods to compliment them, when required they would hopefully be at hand, ie. Cayenne pepper, acv, garlic, manuka etc. Nb. My own yea! Was cayenne pepper sorting a tummy ulcer in3 weeks, no antibiotics needed, wow! Thanks to your goodselves and reader input. Gareth, northants uk

Replied by Sam
(Portland, Oregon)
07/03/2012
★★★★★

Absolutly true! Cayenne pepper does heal ulcers. As does Manuka honey and sea- buckthorn oil (the real one).


Ulcers
Posted by Lisa (Southeast, USA) on 01/02/2008
★★★★★

12 years ago I finally got healed of an ulcer for which I'd been taking medication for several years. So when I recently began having that telltale burning, gnawing pain in my stomach, I knew exactly what was happening.

I also knew the whole routine...doctor's appointment, upper GI, ultrasound etc etc., just to have them tell me what I already knew. PLUS, they'd prescribe medications which my insurance will no longer cover because there are now non-prescription strengths of them available over-the-counter. Needless to say, I was willing to try an alternative method to save myself the time and expense. If you've ever had an ulcer, you usually don't have to have someone tell you what one feels like.

Anyway, I read somewhere about cayenne's healing effects. A week ago, I was up and down through the night with that burning, and all the antacids I could chew were simply giving me no relief. So Thursday morning I got up, got brave, and mixed a full measuring teaspoon of cayenne pepper into a teacup of very warm water and drank it down on an empty stomach.

It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected! And while I was warm all over and my stomach burned a little more when the fluid first hit that spot, the pain quickly diminished. Within minutes, I felt better than I had the day before, and as the day wore on, I continued to feel even better.

Anyway, I've repeated this every day now for the past week, and by day 3 the burning pain in my stomach was COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY GONE, even first thing in the morning. I'm continuing the regimen for therapeutic and preventive purposes, just to see if it cures my allergies and other problems. I'll probably reduce the daily dosage now that the stomach problem has subsided, but I'm a believer! And I'm a lifelong advocate of that little red pepper...this is news worth sharing!

Thank God for natural remedies...



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