Botanical Name: Capsicum frutescens/Capsicum spp.
Common Names: Capsaicin, Chili Pepper, Red Pepper
Overview

Native Americans have used cayenne (or red pepper) as both food and medicine for at least 9,000 years. The hot and spicy taste of cayenne pepper is primarily due to an ingredient known as capsaicin. Although it tastes hot, capsaicin actually stimulates a region of the brain that lowers body temperature. In fact, many people in subtropical and tropical climates consume cayenne pepper regularly because it helps them tolerate the heat.
The popularity of cayenne pepper has spread throughout the world, and it has become an important spice, particularly in Cajun and Creole cooking, and in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, China, Southern Italy, and Mexico. As well as being an important spice in many ethnic cuisines, cayenne has also been used in traditional Indian Ayurvedic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean medicines as a remedy for digestive problems, appetite stimulation, muscle pain, and frostbite. Today, topical preparations of cayenne are used in the United States and Europe primarily to relieve pain associated with certain conditions such as arthritis, shingles (Herpes zoster), and cancer. Capsaicin is also a key ingredient in many personal defense sprays.
Pain Control
Capsaicin in cayenne pepper has very powerful pain-relieving properties when applied to the surface of the skin. Laboratory studies have found that capsaicin relieves pain by destroying a chemical known as substance P that normally carries pain messages to the brain. This appears to be true when applied topically for the following conditions:
Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis, as well as joint or muscle pain from other causes.
Shingles and other painful skin conditions; pain from shingles can continue to recur even after the skin blisters have disappeared. Capsaicin may help this latter pain, which is called post-herpetic neuralgia, as well, but not all studies agree and the research is somewhat limited. Whether your post-herpetic neuralgia improves or disappears using capsaicin may be very individual. Check with your healthcare provider to see it is safe and appropriate for you to try this topical treatment.
Chronic headaches, including Cluster headaches (a severe one-sided headache that tends to occur in clusters, happening repeatedly every day at the same time for possibly several weeks); for this purpose the capsaicin is placed inside the nose.
Pain from Peripheral Neuropathy (nerve damage experienced in the feet and/or legs) due to diabetes; peripheral neuropathy pain from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), however, does not seemed to be relieved from capsaicin.
Low back pain: Homeopathic gels of capsaicin are available for this purpose. Capsaicin, however, is not generally considered a first-line homeopathic remedy for low back pain because other homeopathic remedies have fewer side effects.
ToothacheÂ
Psoriasis
Capsaicin cream can reduce itching and inflammation associated with psoriasis (a chronic skin disease that generally appears as patches of raised red skin covered by a flaky white buildup).
Weight loss
Capsaicin is also considered a thermogenic substance, which means that it allows you to burn more calories from food, particularly when eating a high fat meal. For this reason, some weight loss supplements contain capsaicin. There are no studies examining the safety and effectiveness of capsaicin for helping people lose weight, however.
Plant Description

Cayenne is a shrub that grows in subtropical and tropical climates. Its fruit grows into long pods that turn red, orange, or yellow when they ripen. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked, or is dried and powdered into the spice that has been used for centuries in certain meals and medicines.
What's It Made Of?

Capsaicin is the most active ingredient in cayenne, but other important ingredients include carotenoids, vitamins A and C, and flavonoids.
Precautions

The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, contain active substances that can trigger side effects and that can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, herbs should be taken with care, under the supervision of a practitioner knowledgeable in the field of botanical medicine.
Wash hands well after use and avoid touching the eyes. Cayenne does not dissolve easily in water, so vinegar should be used to remove this substance from the skin. Capsaicin cream may cause an itching, burning sensation on the skin, but these symptoms tend to subside quickly. It is best to test capsaicin cream on a small area of the skin before extended use. If it causes irritation, or if symptoms do not resolve after 2 to 4 weeks, discontinue use. Do not to use capsaicin with a heating pad and do not to apply capsaicin cream immediately before or after hot showers.
Capsaicin capsules may cause stomach irritation.
People who are allergic to latex, bananas, kiwi, chestnuts, and avocado may also have an allergy to peppers.
It is considered safe for use during pregnancy, but it is not known whether the spicy compounds are transferred through breastfeeding. For this reason, nursing mothers should be very cautious about using cayenne.
New Life Health Centers has no means of independently evaluating the safety or functionality of the products offered by their suppliers and affiliates and thus can neither endorse nor recommend products. Information presented is of a general nature for educational and informational purposes only. Statements about products and health conditions have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Products and information presented herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.
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Great Benefits of Natural Skin Care Products
Natural skin care products are the safest and the most effective means to maintain the good health of your skin.
For ages, nature has provided the medical industry with ingredients that have powerful antibiotic, antiseptic, or anti-inflammatory properties which are processed into medicines, serums, ointments, or lotions.
Natural dermatological products are mostly found in the form of ointments or creams, which are quickly absorbed by the superficial layers of the skin. They are effective against most skin conditions and successfully treat local irritation or rashes.
The main advantage of using natural skin care products is their hypo-allergenic character; they are proved to be very well tolerated by the skin. This is due to the fact that natural products contain no additives or preservatives and therefore they are very safe and reliable. In addition, natural skin care products that are properly formulated to match a specific skin care need often cost no more than their synthetic opponents.
It is known for a fact that chemically enhanced products may harm your body by releasing malign substances into the blood stream. In order to minimize these risks, you should consider using natural skin care products instead. They stand as a very effective and healthy alternative to all synthetic products.
However, the main disadvantage of all natural skin care products is that they tend to lose their properties sooner; they have a shorter period of life. Unlike products that are chemically processed and contain synthetic preservatives, natural products alter more quickly, and therefore you should always make sure you check the expiration date before buying such natural skin care products from the shelves of pharmacies or supermarkets.
Sometimes, regardless of their nature, skin care products only treat the effects of a disease, and not the factors that are causing it. Take acne, for instance. Skin acne is not always an infectious disease. It may be caused by hormonal unbalances inside the body and the unaesthetic aspect of the skin is due to the excessive oil produced by the seborrheic glands. In order to successfully treat this very common skin condition, an internal treatment must be associated to the topic external antibiotics. Well tolerated natural skin care products in the form of creams or lotions applied on the affected skin then complete the treatment by controlling the condition externally.
Therefore, if you have skin affection, you should pay a visit to your dermatologist first and ask for advice regarding the appropriate treatment. Natural skin care products come as an addition to the prescribed treatment, enhancing its benefic results. Also, it is very important to check if the skin care products you choose are appropriate for your skin type before using them.
Despite their successful use among the medical branches, natural skin care products are not exclusively intended for treating skin conditions! They are also very efficient for cosmetic purposes. As a matter of fact, the cosmetic industry offers nowadays a wide range of natural products that improve the aesthetics of skin. Anti aging skin care products are the most popular at the time being. Whether they are intended for preventing or reversing the natural aging process of the skin, such products are highly requested and are "a must have" particularly among women in their mid-thirties. Anti aging skin care products, as well as other cosmetics, satisfy the growing aesthetic needs of modern society.
Regardless of their purposes, natural skin care products are the best alternative for synthetic ones, and when properly used, their beneficial actions are quickly noticeable.
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Herbal Teas used for centuries for medicinal purposes
Herbal Tea, one of the world's most ancient beverages, has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Today we are using herbal tea as a refreshing beverage and for its natural therapeutic effects. Herbal teas can lift your spirits, calm your nerves, help full you to sleep, soothe your stomach and ease the misery of a cold as well as simply taste wonderful.
There are three main categories of Herbal tea: black, green and oolong. To make black tea, the leaves are allowed to wither at normal temperatures, and then are rolled the same way. The rolling breaks the cell walls in the leaf, exposing the juices to the air to allow full fermentation. Oolong tea is made in much the same way as black.
Why Herbal teas use?
Herbs in tea form most of which are naturally caffeine free have been used for centuries to help manage and cure a variety of ailments. Herbal experts agree that drinking tea is one of the safest and easiest ways to enjoy the health benefits of herbs. Even so, try any new herbal tea slowly and with caution: if you notice any unusual symptoms after drinking an herbal tea. Such as stomach upset, rash, itching, headache, scratchy throat, runny nose, or sneezing stop drinking it.for More Detail