General
info
When Carolus Linneus first identified the genus Capsicum
in the mid-1700s, there were only two species. By the 1900s, more than
100 cultivated species of Capsicums have been described. However, the
variations were so minor that horticulturists have distilled the list
anew to two: C. annuum, which includes cayenne peppers and chiles, as
well as bell peppers, and C. fructescens, which is the pepper from which
Tabasco sauce is made.
Capsaicin is the active ingredient in the extract
of hot peppers. It is most concentrated in the rib or membrane, less
in the seeds, least in the flesh. Capsaicin for medicinal use comes
from Capsicum fructescens, a species of the cayenne pepper.
Constituents
and characteristics
Contains crystalline principle,
capsaicin; also, capsacutin, capsicin, and capsaicitin.
The skin has coloring matter capsicum red or carotin.
The young fruit contains an alkaloid (solanine), citric acid, palmitic
acid, volatile and fatty oils, pentosans and pectin.
Parts used and preparation
Leaves and mature fruit.
Uses
Nutritional
An excellent source of calcium
and fair source of iron and phosphorus and vitamin B.
Folkloric
Paste of the pepper is used
a rubefacient.
Infusion with cinnamon and sugar used for delirium tremens.
Capsaicum, in equal parts with rhubarb and ginger, for gout and rheumatism.
Others
• Oleoresin capsicum:
used in self-defense pepper sprays with transient
immobilizing and incapacitating effects.
Studies
• Capsaicin for medicinal use
comes from Capsicum fructescens. Capsaicin depletes substance P in afferent
type C sensory nerve fibers and treats pains without affecting the other
aspects of the nervous system. Capsicum cream is available in several
potencies and has been found useful for post-herpetic neuralgia, post-mastectomy
pain, hemodialysis-associated pruritus, psoriatic itching and pain,
painful neuropathies, especially diabetic neuropathy, and other superficial
neuropathies. (see: Capsaicin)/ Siling
Labuyo
• Antimicrobial:
Extracts of Capsicum species (C. annuum, C baccatum, C. chinense, C
frutescens and C. pubescens were tested for their antimicrobial effects.
The study yielded two pungent compounds, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin,
extracts of which showed varying degrees of inhibition against B cereus,
B subtilis, Clostridium sporogenes, C tetani and S pyogenes.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Cultivated in its varieties; occasionally spontaneous.
Fruit cultivated as condiment.
Topical capsicum ointments.
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