Cayenne Pepper
Health Benefits

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

Cayenne Tips

21 User Reviews
5 star (21) 
  100%

Posted by Chris (Roswell, Ga) on 01/02/2012
★★★★★

Cayenne is a stimulant. Don't take it too late in the day or it may keep you up all night.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Mtusa007 (Missoula, Mt Usa) on 11/14/2011
★★★★★

I read where everyone is mixing with drinks etc, trying to kill the heat and taste or taking pills. I just cover my food with cayenne and love it. You get used to the heat very quickly and I use it at every meal, at least a teaspoon if not tablespoon, it's great in latte, red beer etc. If anything I over use it but I feel great, I always have a shaker of this pepper handy in my car, my suitcase, at work and camping.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by William (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) on 02/25/2011
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I've been filling my own "00" gel caps with cayenne pepper for a year now, with no side effects. I take it orally now. This is the most beneficial way to do it. But you must start out with organic cayenne pepper at about 40, 000 SHU (heat units) by taking 1/8 tsp. In 4 oz. Room temp. Distilled water, after every meal and build up to hotter pepper.

DO NOT TAKE IT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! YOU WILL REGRET IT!

I am now taking 1 level tsp. of organic cayenne pepper @ 90,000SHU in 4 oz. of distilled water after every meal. I can even swirl it around in my mouth for a while. You will get used to it...

This spice/herb is truly amazing.

I am 66 years old and I've never felt better in my life. If cayenne pepper was $50.00 a pound (which it isn't) I would still buy a pound every month.

Thanks for listening...

Replied by Kiki
(South Africa)
03/22/2016
★★★★★

What you said about taking cayenne on an empty stomach is so true. I normally take it first thing after brushing my teeth, hey man you'll find me pounding up and down in trying to cool and settling my stomach from burning and sometimes I would even feel like vomiting for some minutes before I feel back to my senses. It is really a bad idea to take on an empty stomach. I regret every time after taking it. Thank you so much for your advise of eating before drinking the powder. God Bless.

Pat
(Florida)
09/20/2020

If you find your stomach upset, quickly take a charcoal capsule (or two) and it will probably subside very quickly. I ate way too much curry one day, my stomach went berserk - I took 2 charcoal tablets - discomfort gone in minutes!


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Kelly (Cinti , Ohio) on 02/16/2011

Hello everyone,
I would like to hear some feedback concerning using reg cayenne from the grocery store for medicine . I tried some of what I had and it was as hot as a firecracker! So, has anyone used the grocery store kind in the large container like chefs use, with a good outcome. THANKS!

Replied by Blanche
(Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Usa)
02/16/2011
★★★★★

Well, yes, cayenne IS very hot. The grocery store cayenne is fine. In fact, I find it is sometimes fresher than the prepacked capsules. A bright red color is good. Just don't get it into your eyes or even under your fingernails. And you may want to try a very small amount at first. Hope it works for you.

Replied by William
(Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
02/27/2011

Hi Kelly,
Don't use cayenne pepper from a grocery store. Odds are it has been irradiated to kill bacteria, etc. Then it is useless... Except as a spice. All the nutrition has been destroyed, like when you microwave food... Most of the value in the food is destroyed. You need to buy organic cayenne pepper. Check out this site, it will be very helpful:

www.cayennepepper.info

Good Luck, William


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Kelly (Cinti, Ohio) on 02/16/2011
★★★★★

Thanks for the suggestion of using a straw! I mixed a tsp. of lemon juice(bottle), a tsp of honey, in 2tbsp of yogurt, w/ a pinch of cayenne(1/4 tsp. on a small plate to keep track of tolerance). Using a straw did the trick. The way I tried it before felt like getting punched in the chest. This way it is just warm going down and I can feel clearer breathing after 5 min. I also started burping quite a bit ( had a meal about 1-1/2 hrs. ago. I'll keep upping my dose and keep you posted. God Bless!


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Amelia (Limerick, Ireland) on 02/06/2011
★★★★★

I take Cayenne pepper in a small amount of cold water then drink warm water. I then take a spoonful of Honey. The burning is gone in half a minute.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Ellen (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada) on 11/13/2010
★★★★★

To the person who had extreme side effects after taking cayenne capsules:

The reason you had this over reaction to the cayenne pepper pills is because you should never take anything that tastes hot in a pill form. The body needs to sense that some thing as hot as cayenne pepper is on its way down to the stomache and the stomache is then prepared with the appropriate digestive acids to accept the cayenne pepper to handle it and digest it without any reaction.

You may have been told by the people who sold you the pills that it's okay to take cayenne pepper in this form, but I will assure you it is not. Please listen to my advice or better yet do your own research on this and you will see I am telling you the truth.

Good luck,
Ellen

P. S. It is very easy to get cayenne into your diet and it is so cheap too. I put my cayenne in a glass of lemon juice which was freshly squeezed (and it needs to be an actual lemon, the fake plastic lemon juice dose nothing to help your health) and put a little cayenne pepper in and sweeten it with liquid stevia. It tastes refreshing and it is health promoting.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Cristy (Dallas, Tx) on 07/07/2010
★★★★★

I have had much success with taking two teaspoons of cayenne pepper in a small cup of juice or beer (beer works really well--just about 3 ounces of it! ) but I have had unbearably bad side effects with cayenne *capsules*.

About 15-20 minutes after taking the capsules I get terrible, sharp stomach pains, cramps, and gas that last for a good 30 minutes and have me doubled over in pain. It feels like I swallowed a bomb!

I have read that cayenne should always be taken straight because digestion begins in the mouth, and the sharp spicy taste prepares the stomach to receive the pepper. For those fearful of the spicy taste, I vouch that I have a low "spicy-tolerance" and that when shooting the cayenne in a couple of ounces of liquid, the spiciness only lasts for 20-30 seconds and disappears completely. Not at all that lingering, intolerable burning we all know from eating Mexican food! Plus, drinking it straight gives you a pleasant head-rush and wave of energy. Cheers!

Replied by Kim
(Houston, Tx)
05/16/2012

Cristy, you crack me up with your 3 oz of beer! From one Texas chick to another - YOU GO GIRL!!!

Replied by Teelight
(Toronto)
10/31/2012

Cristy I got the same exact reaction also after swallowing the cayenne capsules. 15min after taking, I started sweating buckets (yay! That part's ok) and debilitating stomach pain (not ok -- at all). But the episode passed after about 10 min. I came on here looking for answers and it makes sense that digestion begins in the mouth and our stomachs need a warning signal for spicy substances. No more hiding the cayenne in capsules, I shall open them up and dissolve in water. This makes much more sense, and seems to be the solution, thanks a bunch.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Wanda (Memphis, Tn) on 07/02/2010
★★★★★

Cayenne Pepper suggestion: I started using cayenne for weight loss but love the way I immediately feel energized when I take it. I like covering it with cottage cheese but have stumbled across another way to take them by making my own cayenne pills. I bought empty Gelatin Capsules at a health food store and filled them with cayenne. The easiest way I found was to line up capsules on painters tape then, put another piece of painters tape on top of the capsules. This will keep them straight but you can fold them. Hold them over a pyrex dish and pour the cayenne all over them. You can tap them down several times and pour more until they are full. It's pretty easy to get the tops of the capsules on and beats trying to fill one at a time. Watch out for breathing the dust. You might want to use gloves or just be careful to keep your hands washed between working with the capsules.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Simone33 (Burlington, Nc) on 08/08/2009
★★★★★

I just wanted to comment that I know a great way of getting the cayenne down; pour it on cottage cheese. It goes down very easily with very little burn at all! I also add chopped eggs to it sometimes just to oomph it up a bit. I guess you could also chase it with water since this seems to be the rule here.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Cecilia (Atlanta, Georgia ) on 03/06/2009
★★★★★

In order to avoid severe coughing while gargling with cayenne pepper (red pepper) in tempered water you need to breath deeply, hold your breath, take a sip of cayenne pepper, gargle, spit the mix and breath normal.

Gargling this way you avoid breathing through your mouth when you are sipping the mix and the dry cayenne powder doesn't get into your through.

Also, when the throat and larynx are irritated it is better not to swallow a lot of the mix so just swallow what is left in your spit after spitting the mix. It has worked wonderfully for me!


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Muddythewater (Vancouver, Canada) on 04/01/2008
★★★★★

I have been experimenting with the ingestion of cayenne pepper. So far I have found that the easiest way is to have a drink shaker and a to ounce shot glass.

Add 1 Tbl spoon of Cayenne (maybe slightly less if just starting)
Add 1 Tbl spoon Liquid honey
Lemon juice to taste
4 - 5 ounces water

Shake for at least a minute.
This makes 2, 2 ounce shots.
you can have a glass of water or juice for a kicker, but the honey and lemon really kill the initial taste and shaking it up turns it into'more of a juice floaty spice in water that looks strange. I havent been doing this for long but I feel that the supposed health benefits outweigh the flavor factor.

Good luck! Tips and feedback would be nice.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Belina (Merida, Yucatan, Mexico) on 03/12/2008
★★★★★

I've read about people having problems with Cayenne, Habanero or other "hot" chilies or sauces and as a Chef who specializes in Mexican fare, plus I now live in Mexico too, I can give you a very easy and efficient remedy to ease the burning from peppers. Also, it doesn't matter if the burning is in your mouth, lips, face (from touching it with your hands after handling peppers) or hands, it works:

Put a little salt on the palm of your left hand, wet the tip of your right index finger in your mouth slightly and dip it in the salt and place it UNDER your tongue (sublingual) in the tender area on your jaw and not ON the underside of the tongue. Relief is very quick, easy to do, you can do it anywhere (like a restaurant) and works for everyone plus you can find salt everywhere.


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Nina (San Diego, CA) on 03/07/2008

Cayenne pepper works, but in order to ease the hotness, I just use orange juice. Put an 1/8 of a teaspoon in a glass of orange juice, and drink it. Make sure the oj has pulp in it, the cayenne will bond to the pulp, and it won't burn your mouth at all! I have been using this method for years. And DON'T use milk to "ease the hotness" when you're sick- avoid dairy products.

Replied by Anna
(Philadelphia, PA, us)
03/25/2009
★★★★★

Twice a day I drink oj with pulp with 1 tbsp of acv and 1 tsp of powdered ginger (makes me feel and look great!)- I use straw so my mouth is not burnt at all - I feel it only at the back of it. Yesterday I got cayenne pepper (to increase my circulation) and came here to find hows and how much. Thanks to your post I decided just to add it to my drink! Half teaspoon, in the begining anyway.

Replied by Anna
(Philadelphia, PA)
05/15/2009
★★★★★

it works great that way! I feel so warm and full of energy! (But it may be SPRING not a drink...)


Cayenne Tips
Posted by Brittany (Lake Wylie, South Carolina) on 03/02/2008

I actually haven't tried the cayenne pepper yet, but am sure it will work. I'm more concerned with what people are using to take the heat away afterwards... You should use sugar. It absorbs the heat. Bread probably works too, but not as much. Milk, just like water, spreads it around even more and will probably upset your stomach, especially if you try lemon with any of the remedies. So bottom line, use sugar not milk or water.



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