Cayenne

Parts Used & Where Grown

Originally from South America, the cayenne plant is now used worldwide as a food and spice. Cayenne is very closely related to bell peppers, jalapeños, paprika, and other similar peppers. The fruit is used medicinally.

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This supplement has been used in connection with the following health conditions:

Used for	Amount	Why
Osteoarthritis	Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over painful joints	When rubbed over painful joints, cayenne extract creams containing 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin may reduce the pain and tenderness of OA.
Osteoarthritis Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over painful joints Several double-blind trials have shown that topical use of cayenne extract creams containing 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin reduces pain and tenderness caused by OA.¹ ^{, 2} ^{, 3} ^{, 4} These creams are typically applied four times daily for two to four weeks, after which twice daily application may be sufficient.⁵ Products containing capsicum oleoresin rather than purified capsaicin may not be as effective.⁶ Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Pain	Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over painful areas	Capsaicin, an extract of cayenne pepper, appears to work by blocking pain signals and may ease many types of chronic pain when applied regularly to the skin.
Pain Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over painful areas Capsaicin is an extract of cayenne pepper that may ease many types of chronic pain when applied regularly to the skin. In animal studies, capsaicin was consistently effective at reducing pain when given by mouth, by injection, or when applied topically.⁷ ^{, 8} A controlled trial in humans found that application of a solution of capsaicin (0.075%) decreased sensitivity of skin to all noxious stimuli.⁹ One review article deemed the research on capsaicin’s pain-relieving properties “inconclusive.”¹⁰ However, in several uncontrolled and at least five controlled clinical trials, capsaicin has been consistently shown to decrease the pain of many disorders, including trigeminal neuralgia, shingles, diabetic neuropathy, osteoarthritis, and cluster headaches.¹¹ ^{, 12} ^{, 13} ^{, 14} ^{, 15} For treatment of chronic pain, capsaicin ointment or cream (standardized to 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin) is typically applied to the painful area four times per day.¹⁶ It is common to experience stinging and burning at the site of application, especially for the first week of treatment; avoid getting it in the eyes, mouth, or open sores. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Psoriasis	Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over pain areas with unbroken skin	to relieve itching and help heal sores. Cayenne contains capsaicin, which relieves pain and itching and may help heal sores..
Psoriasis Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over pain areas with unbroken skin Cayenne contains a resinous and pungent substance known as capsaicin. This chemical relieves pain and itching by depleting certain neurotransmitters from sensory nerves. In a double-blind trial, application of a capsaicin cream to the skin relieved both the itching and the skin lesions in people with psoriasis.¹⁷ Creams containing 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin are generally used. There may be a burning sensation the first several times the cream is applied, but this usually become less pronounced with each use. The hands must be carefully and thoroughly washed after use, or gloves should be worn, to prevent the cream from accidentally reaching the eyes, nose, or mouth and causing a burning sensation. The cream should not be applied to areas of broken skin. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Cluster Headache	Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner	Capsaicin, a constituent of cayenne pepper, applied inside the nostrils may ease the pain of cluster headaches and reduce recurrences.
Cluster Headache Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner Substance P is a nerve chemical involved in pain transmission that may cause some of the symptoms of cluster headache.¹⁸ ^{, 19} Capsaicin, a constituent of cayenne pepper, can reduce the levels of substance P in nerves.²⁰ Preliminary clinical trials investigating the use of intranasal capsaicin for the prevention and treatment of cluster headaches report significant decreases in the number of cluster episodes in some of the participants.²¹ The decreases usually lasted no more than 40 days after the end of treatment,²² although a few patients have experienced relief for up to two years.²³ In a double-blind study, patients who received capsaicin intranasally twice daily for seven days during a cluster episode had a significant reduction in pain for the following 15 days.²⁴ As capsaicin can cause burning and irritation, this treatment should be utilized only under the supervision of a qualified doctor. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Obesity	Add 6 to 10 grams to each meal	Incorporating cayenne pepper into the diet may promote weight loss by reducing hunger and calories consumed and increasing the calories the body burns.
Obesity Add 6 to 10 grams to each meal Research has suggested that incorporating cayenne pepper into the diet may help people lose weight. Controlled studies report that adding 6 to 10 grams of cayenne to a meal or 28 grams to an entire day’s diet reduces hunger after meals and reduces calories consumed during subsequent meals.²⁵ ^{, 26} Other controlled studies have reported that calorie burning by the body increases slightly when 10 grams of cayenne is added to a meal or 28 grams is added to an entire day’s diet ²⁷ ^{, 28} ^{, 29} However, no studies have been done to see if regularly adding cayenne to the diet has any effect on weight loss. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Rheumatoid Arthritis	Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over painful areas	A cream containing capsaicin, a substance found in cayenne pepper, may help relieve pain when rubbed onto arthritic joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Apply 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin ointment four times per day over painful areas A cream containing small amounts of capsaicin, a substance found in cayenne pepper, can help relieve pain when rubbed onto arthritic joints, according to the results of a double-blind trial.³⁰ Capsaicin achieves this effect by depleting nerves of a pain-mediating neurotransmitter called substance P. Although application of capsaicin cream initially causes a burning feeling, the burning lessens with each application and disappears for most people in a few days. Creams containing 0.025–0.075% of capsaicin are available and may be applied to the affected joints three to five times a day. A doctor should supervise this treatment. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Athletic Performance	Refer to label instructions	Capsaicin, a constituent of cayenne, has been shown to reduce pain caused by osteoarthritis and provide relief from chronic low back pain.
Athletic Performance Capsaicin ointment, applied four times per day over painful joints in the upper or lower limbs, reduces pain caused by osteoarthritis,³¹ and a plaster containing capsaicin applied to the low back for several hours per day provided relief from chronic low back pain in one study.³² Other uses of cayenne or capsaicin for sports and fitness have not been studied. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Bursitis	Refer to label instructions	Some doctors recommend using the anti-inflammatory herbs boswellia, turmeric, willow, and topical cayenne ointment for bursitis.
Bursitis While there have been few studies on herbal therapy for bursitis, most practitioners would consider using anti-inflammatory herbs that have proven useful in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. These would include boswellia, turmeric, willow, and topical cayenne ointment. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Low Back Pain	Refer to label instructions	Topical cayenne pepper has been used for centuries to reduce pain and to diminish localized pain for a number of conditions.
Low Back Pain Topical cayenne pepper has been used for centuries to reduce pain, and more recently, to diminish localized pain for a number of conditions,³³ including chronic pain,³⁴ although low back pain has not been specifically investigated. Cayenne creams typically contain 0.025–0.075% capsaicin.³⁵ While cayenne cream causes a burning sensation the first few times used, this decreases with each application. Pain relief is also enhanced with use as substance P, the compound that induces pain, is depleted.³⁶ To avoid contamination of the mouth, nose, or eyes, hands should be thoroughly washed after use or gloves should be worn. Do not apply cayenne cream to broken skin. Learn More

Used for	Amount	Why
Migraine Headache	Refer to label instructions	Capsaicin, the active constituent of cayenne, may be applied inside the nose as a treatment for acute migraine under a doctor’s supervision.
Migraine Headache There is preliminary evidence that capsaicin, the active constituent of cayenne, can be applied inside the nose as a treatment for acute migraine.³⁷ However, as intranasal application of capsaicin produces a burning sensation, it should be used only under the supervision of a doctor familiar with its use. Learn More

Traditional Use (May Not Be Supported by Scientific Studies)

The potent, hot fruit of cayenne has been used as medicine for centuries. It was considered helpful by herbalists for various conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including stomach aches, cramping pains, and gas. Cayenne was frequently used to treat diseases of the circulatory system. It is still traditionally used in herbal medicine as a circulatory tonic (a substance believed to improve circulation). Rubbed on the skin, cayenne is a traditional, as well as modern, remedy for rheumatic pains and arthritis due to what is termed a counterirritant effect. A counterirritant is something that causes irritation to a tissue to which it is applied, thus distracting from the original irritation (such as joint pain in the case of arthritis).

Also indexed as:

capsicum,
cayenne pepper

About this treatment

Common names:

Capsaicin, Capsaicin Cream, Capsicum

Botanical names:

Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens

How It Works

Cayenne contains a resinous and pungent substance known as capsaicin. Topical application of capsaicin relieves pain and itching by acting on sensory nerves. Capsaicin temporarily depletes “substance P”, a chemical in nerves that transmits pain sensations. Without substance P, pain signals can no longer be sent. The effect is temporary. Numerous double-blind trials have proven topically applied capsaicin creams are helpful for a range of conditions, including nerve pain in diabetes (diabetic neuropathy), post-surgical pain,psoriasis, muscle pain due to fibromyalgia, nerve pain after shingles (postherpetic neuralgia),osteoarthritis pain, and rheumatoid arthritis pain.

With the aid of a healthcare professional, capsaicin administered via the nose may also be a potentially useful therapy for cluster headaches. This is supported by a double-blind trial. Weaker scientific support exists for the use of capsaicin for migraines.

Injecting capsaicin directly into the urinary bladder has reduced symptoms of one type of bladder dysfunction (neurogenic hyperreflexic bladder) that results from spinal cord and other nerve injuries. Capsaicin is not known to help other bladder conditions, such as chronic bladder pain. The placing of cayenne or capsaicin products into the bladder has only been performed in clinical experiments and should only be done by a urologist.

Modest reductions in appetite have been found in healthy Japanese women and white men when they consumed 10 grams of cayenne pepper along with meals in a double-blind trial. A similar trial found that cayenne could increase metabolism of dietary fats in Japanese women. These trials suggest cayenne may help in the treatment of obesity.

In a double-blind study of people with dyspepsia (heartburn), supplementation with 833 mg of cayenne powder in capsules, three times per day before meals, reduced heartburn symptoms by 48%, compared with a placebo. However, two of 15 individuals receiving cayenne discontinued it because of abdominal pain.

How to Use It

Topical creams containing 0.025 to 75% capsaicin are generally used. People often apply the cream to the affected area three or four times per day. A burning sensation may occur the first several times the cream is applied. However, this should gradually decrease with each use. The hands must be carefully and thoroughly washed after use, or gloves should be worn, to prevent the cream from accidentally reaching the eyes, nose, or mouth, which would cause a burning sensation. Do not apply the cream to areas of broken skin. For internal use, cayenne tincture (0.3–1 ml) can be taken three times per day. An infusion can be made by pouring 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water onto 1/2–1 teaspoon (2.5 to 5 grams) of cayenne powder and let set for 10 minutes. A teaspoon of this infusion can be mixed with water and taken three to four times daily. In the treatment of heartburn, researchers have used 833 mg of cayenne powder in capsule form, taken three times per day before meals.

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Last Review: 05-11-2011

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The information presented in Aisle7 is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires June 2011.

© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

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