When they cut into a pepper of any type, most cooks will naturally discard the seeds and white ribs or veins inside of the pepper without giving it much thought. While the veins are not very tasty for our palates, concentrated within them is a substance called capsaicin, which not only provides the pepper with its signature heat, but also provides a hearty dose of health benefits.
For example, capsaicin is loaded with vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, and bioflavinoids (which are antioxidants that serve to protect your body against infection, help you to properly absorb vitamin C, and maintain the strength of your capillaries). Capsaicin is low in fat, calories and cholesterol, and aids in digestion. If that’s not enough, capsaicin has also shown to increase your metabolic rate, which means your body is burning more calories. A study recently published in the British Journal of Nutrition validated this by showing that capsaicin added to the breakfast and lunch foods of test subjects resulted in their eating less at these meals. Additionally, the results showed that the subject’s appetites were suppressed for up to several hours after ingesting the capsaicin, and that the number of calories they burned, particularly after meals high in fat, was higher than those subjects who did not receive any capsaicin.
Capsaicin has also been in use for many years as a treatment for inflamed muscle and non-rheumatoid arthritis pain, post-operative pain, and for pains resulting from burns and other medical conditions. Most commonly available as a cream or ointment, the capsaicin is applied directly to sore areas. Chemically speaking, when applied, the protein ion receptors in our body bind with the capsaicin in the cream, which allows calcium and sodium ions to react with the sensory nerve cells and inhibit the transmission of pain signals through these receptors. Further to this, capsaicin creams have also been shown to counter the production of the neurotransmitter responsible for transmitting pain signals in the joints. It is able to do this by stimulating the brain to continuously release this transmitter in response to the heat from the capsaicin cream. As a result of this increased output, the body soon depletes its reserve and releases less and less of the transmitter which leads to less response from the nerve endings and improved pain relief. Capsaicin has also been shown effective at controlling the pain and discomfort associated with diabetes mellitus, itching associated with dialysis, and when used in a candy form, the discomfort and pain of lesions inside the mouths of cancer patients.