Botany
An erect, branched and half-woody plant. Fruit is small, oblong-lanceolate, many-seeded pod that reddens on riping.

Distribution
Garden and waste places in settled areas throughout the Philippines.

Properties
Stimulant, digestive, rubefacient, stomachic, sialagogue, alterative, antispasmodic, febrifuge, depurative.

Constituents
Pungent principle, capsaicin; solanine; vitamins A and B; citric acid; palmitic acid; capsicin; oleoresin; volatile and fixed oils; pentosans, 8.28%; pectin, 3.2%.

Parts used and preparation
Leaves and mature fruit.

Uses:
Nutritional
Fruit is a popular condiment. The leaves are used as vegetable; an excellent source of calcium and iron, a good source of phosphorus and vitamins A and B.
Folkloric
Arthritis and rheumatism: Crush fruit, mix with oil and apply on affected part.
Dyspepsia and flatulence: Eaten as condiment or drank as infusion as a stimulant and antispasmodic.
Infusion of the fruit is stimulant, stomachic and antispasmodic; used for dyspepsia and flatulence.
Infusion preparation: 3-10 grains every 2 hours to a cup of boiling water.
Toothache: Juice of the pepper pressed into the tooth cavity.
Rheumatism: Poutice of cayenne applied over affected parts.
Scalp ringworm: Strong infusion o fruit applied as lotion.

New Uses:
Capsaicin for medicinal use comes from Capsicum fructescens and 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 depletes substance P in the afferent type C sensory nerve fibers, affecting only proprioception. Unlike other treatments for neuropathy, such as local anesthetics, opiates, anti-seizure medications or tricyclic antidepressants, capsaicin specifically treats pain without impairing other aspects of the nervous system. In incomplete depletion of substance P from suboptimal use, it may cause parodoxical increase of pain. (See: Capsaicin / DrugInteractions)
USES
Post-herpetic neuralgia, post-mastectomy pain, hemodialysis-associated pruritus, psoriatic itching and pain, painful neuropathies, especially diabetic neuropathy, and other superficial neuropathies.
CAPSAICIN AND DYSPEPSIA
In a small trial in Italy (Dr. Mauro Bortolotti et al, University of Bologna), 30 patients with functional dyspepsia were randomized on daily capsules of 2.5 g of red pepper or placebo. The capsaicin content (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) was 0.7 mg/g of red pepper power. After 3 weeks, upper gastrointestinal symptoms of epigastric pain, fullness, nausea and early satiety were all significantly reduced in the capsaicin group and not in the placebo group. The mechanism of action is believed to be the desensitization of gastric nociceptive C fibers, which carry pain sensations to the central nervous system. (NEJM.346[12]:947-48,2002) Clinical Capsules.

PREPARATION OF CAPSICUM LINIMENT
Materials and procedure.
Go to Traditional and Modern Medicine

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Fruit cultivated as condiment.
Capsaicin is available as fresh and dried peppers, and in many countries, in capsules, tablets, and tinctures and for external application in potencies ranging from 0.1% to 0.75%.