Chili-peppers
The Healing Power
Can Help:
Sinuses and relieve congestion
Prevent ulcers Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke
According to an old saying, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
This might be the perfect motto for chilipeppers.
Not only can many people withstand the heat, they actually enjoy it.
Chili pepper fans savor the heat at every opportunity, not just in traditional favorites like tacos and burritos but also in foods such as omelets, stews and even salads.
More is involved than just a little culinary spice.
These thermogenic morsels are prized around the globe for their healing power as well as their firepower.
Hot chilies have long been used as natural remedies for coughs, colds, sinusitis, and bronchitis.
There's some evidence that they can help lower low-density lipoprotein (LOL) cholesterol, the type associated with stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease.
There's also some evidence that chili-peppers can help prevent, of all things, stomach ulcers.
Heat Up A Cold
Chili-pepper lovers have long asserted that hot chili-peppers, from Serranos to Jalapenos, are the ultimate decongestant, clearing a stuffY nose in the time it takes to gasp "Yow!"
In fact, the fiery bite of hot chili-peppers (or chili-based condiments like Tabasco sauce) can work as well as over-the-counter cold remedies.
Some of the foods used to fight respiratory diseases for centuries, including hot chili-peppers, are very similar to the drugs we now use.
The stuff that makes hot peppers so nose-clearing good is capsaicin, a plant chemical that gives hot peppers their sting.
Chemically, capsaicin is similar to a drug called guaifenesin, which is used in many over-the-counter and prescription cold remedies such as Robitussin.
Of course, eating a chili pepper has more of an immediate impact than taking a spoonful of medicine.
When a hot pepper meets your tongue, the brain is slammed with an onslaught of nerve messages.
The brain responds to this "Ow!" message by stimulating secretion-producing glands that line the airways.
The result is a flood of fluids that makes your eyes water, your nose run, and the mucus in your lungs loosen.
In other words, chili-peppers are a natural decongestant and expectorant.
It doesn't take a lot of pepper to get the healing benefits.
Adding 10 drops of hot chili-pepper sauce to a bowl of chicken soup can be very effective.
We recommend treating a cold with a warm-water gargle to which you've added 10 drops of Tabasco sauce.
This remedy can be quite effective, particularly if you want to clear your sinuses.
Rub Away the Pain
You love the fiery bite of chilies in your salsa.
But how about on your skin?
You bet.
When applied as a cream, capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili-peppers their heat, has been shown to ease the discomfort of psoriasis, nerve pain, and arthritis.
Capsaicin creams are thought to work by depleting nerve cells and receptors of substance P, a chemical that transmits pain and itch sensations to the brain.
When capsaicin cream is applied to the skin, the nerves release a flood of substance P.
Over time, the nerves are unable to replenish their supply.
The less "fuel" they have, the less pain you feel.
Incidentally, you can't use capsaicin cream for simple muscle aches.
The pain has to stem from the nerves, not the muscles themselves.
Capsaicin cream is available over the counter.
But make no mistake.
This stuff is strong.
So consult your doctor before using it.
Once you have your doctor's okay, follow our tips.
Try a milder concentration first.
Zostrix has a concentration of 0.025 percent.
Zostrix HP has three times the power, with a concentration of 0.075 percent.
Apply the cream with a rubber glove or a rubber finger guard.
"If you don't and you accidentally put your finger in your eye, it can be bad news."
Use a very small amount of cream.
"If you can see it on your skin, you've used too much." ~
Don't apply the cream within two hours of a hot bath or shower.
"Heat increases the cream's effect and can cause even more pain."
Don't give up.
"Your skin may burn for a few days as it gets used to the cream."
The pain will diminish quickly and in most cases, the cream will begin working in about two weeks.
Help For Heart and Stomach
Besides unblocking clogged airways, chili-peppers may also cut blood cholesterol.
When laboratory animals were fed a diet high in capsaicin and low in saturated fat, it helped reduce their 'bad' LDL cholesterol. 
Eating chili-peppers also appears to have a blood-thinning effect.
Researchers at Max Planck Institute in Germany found that chilies can hinder the formation of blood clots by increasing the amount of time it takes for blood to coagulate.
This could play a role in helping prevent blood clots that lead to heart attack and stroke.
For years, doctors advised people prone to ulcers to abstain from spicy foods.
Research now suggests the opposite: that chili-peppers may help prevent ulcers from occurring.
Capsaicin appears to shield the stomach lining from ulcer-causing acids and alcohol by stimulating the flow of protective digestive juices.
Researchers at National University Hospital in Singapore found that people who consumed the most chili powder had the fewest ulcers, leading them to speculate that chili, or capsaicin, was the protective factor.
Red-Hot Vitamins
Getting more hot chili-peppers into your diet may strengthen your personal anti-aging arsenal.
That's because they're a rich source of the antioxidants vitamin-C and beta-carotene (which is converted into vitamin-A in the body).
These anti-oxidants help protect the body by "neutralizing" free radicals, harmful oxygen molecules that naturally accumulate in the body and cause cell damage.
Upping your intake of antioxidant vitamins, researchers believe, may help prevent damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease and stroke as well as such things as arthritis and a weakened immune system.
One red chili packs 3 milligrams of beta-carotene, between 30 and 5O percent of the amount recommended by most experts.
Studies show that people who consume more beta-carotene-rich foods get less cancer and heart disease.
In Your Kitchen
Cooking with hot peppers is like riding a Harley.
You have to do it very carefully.
Approach hot peppers with respect.
"People tell us the strangest stories about their experiences with hot peppers, where they touched, whom they touched and what happened."
To enjoy the heat of peppers without getting burned, follow our tips.
Protect your hands.
When you're cooking with very hot peppers, "anything hotter than a jalapeno," put on a pair of disposable plastic gloves.
(If you have sensitive hands, you may want to wear gloves even when working with milder peppers.)
When you're done, thoroughly rinse the tips of the gloves with soapy water before taking them off to avoid transferring the pepper oil to your fingers.
Then immediately wash your hands.
Use plenty of soap.
Chili oil sticks to the skin, and water alone won't get it off.
You need to use plenty of soap as well.
You might want to wash your hands more than once, depending on the kind of pepper you were working with and how much of it you handled.
Protect against pepper dust.
When grinding or crushing dried hot peppers, wear a dust mask and goggles.
The dust can get in your throat and eyes.
Crush them by hand.
It may be convenient to grind dried hot peppers in a blender or coffee grinder but you won't appreciate the aftershocks.
"How thoroughly can you wash a coffee grinder or blender, anyways?"
If you use them to grind peppers, you're going to have some nice hot coffee or super hot thies.
At the very least, you may want to consider getting a separate grinder to use on dried hot peppers only.
Getting the Most
Enjoy the raw.
Although raw chilies can be uncomfortably hot for some people, that's the best way to get the most vitamin-C; cooking destroys the stores of this vitamin.
On the other hand, capsaicin isn't affected by heating, so if that's what you're after, to help relieve congestion, for example, cook the peppers to your taste.
Munching the Membrane
Inside the chili is a thin membrane that connects the seeds to the flesh.
Most of the capsaicin in chili peppers is located in the membrane, experts say.
Preserve the powder.
Storing chili powder at room temperature will eventually deplete its betacarotene.
Keep chili powder in a dark, cool place, like in the freezer.
Eat for comfort.
The hottest chili pepper isn't necessarily the most healing, so don't make yourself suffer.
From wild to mild, here are a few chilies you may want to try.
· Habanero pepper and Scotch bonnet are among the most mouth-blistering peppers.
· Jalapeno and Fresno peppers weigh in at 50 percent firepower, compared to the habanero.
· Hungarian cherry and Anaheim peppers emit more of a glow than a flame and are a good choice for tamer palates.
Fiery Chili Pepper Salsa
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 small jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and very thinly sliced (wear plastic gloves when handling)
1/4 cup minced red onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation;
In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Mix well.
Let the salsa stand for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Makes 1-1/3 cups
Cook's Notes: The salsa can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days.
Serve with non-fat corn chips or as a condiment for baked potatoes, omelletes, scrambled eggs or grilled poultry or meat.
PER 1/3 CUP: calories 29, total fat 0.2 g., saturated fat 0 g., cholesterol 0 mg.
Newsletter
*** Our Featured Sponsors ***
At Long Last ~ MaxLife Research ~ Click the Pic ~ You're Worth It!
Since I began using these products, I have lost 30 pounds and have succeeded in losing body fat and building leaner muscle.
I feel healthier, and far more energetic.
~ Earl Christy
Member of the New York Jets Super Bowl III World Championship Team
______________________________________________________________
|
