Cayenne

Also called

Cayenne Pepper, Chili Pepper, Capsicum, Capsaicin

Older scientific names

Capsicum annuum

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

• Cayenne poultices have long been put on the skin for pain. A skin-reddening cayenne treatment was described in 1830 for pain, cramps and muscle and joint problems. In 1909 an Austrian doctor, Giuseppe Munari, first prescribed a cayenne and clay poultice. It's still used in Vienna and Lower Austria for back pain, rheumatic conditions and osteoarthritis pain.[4]Study

Research in people

• The European Medicines Agency accepts cayenne extract, in plasters and creams put on the skin, as an established medicine for relief of muscle pain such as low back pain. Its hot compounds (capsaicinoids) increase blood flow and warm the skin.

  • Plaster: no more than 1 a day, left on for 4 to 12 hours, with at least 12 hours before another on the same spot
  • Use until the pain eases, for up to 3 weeks, then take a break of at least 2 weeks

  It's for adults only.[2]Health agency

• In a small 2014 trial, 16 people with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea took chili capsules and dummy capsules before meals 3 times a day, for 6 weeks each. Chili reduced burning belly pain after meals and made the rectum less sensitive to stretching.[5]Study

  Technical detail: randomized, double-blind crossover; rectal sensory threshold measured with a barostat.

• In a small study, 20 healthy adults had a cayenne and clay poultice (0%, 2.5%, 5% or 10% cayenne) put on their back for 20 minutes, a week or more apart. At 5% and 10%, people became less sensitive to pain and light touch at that spot. At 10%, back strength dropped for a while. Blood pressure didn't change. In 6 more healthy men, one 5% poultice didn't raise signs of inflammation in the blood over 24 hours. People felt warmth, burning and tingling. It wasn't tested in people with back pain, and the authors say repeated use needs study.[4]Study

  Technical detail: randomized order of concentrations within subjects; pressure-pain threshold increased at 5% and 10%; maximal trunk extension force fell at 10% (p = .001); IL-6 fell at 1 hour and sE-selectin fell; the 5% mix contains about 0.0045% capsaicin.

• A US study followed 16,179 adults for about 19 years. People who said they ate hot red chili peppers were 13% less likely to die during that time, after allowing for other differences between them. There was a similar trend for deaths from heart and blood vessel disease, but it was too small to be sure of. A study like this shows a link, not that chili causes the lower risk.[6]Study

  Technical detail: NHANES III, surveyed 1988–1994; median follow-up 18.9 years; 4,946 deaths; adjusted hazard ratio 0.87 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.97); vascular deaths: similar but not statistically significant trend.

• An Italian study followed 22,811 adults for about 8 years. People who ate chili pepper more than 4 times a week were about 23% less likely to die than those who rarely ate it. They were also about 34% less likely to die of heart and blood vessel disease, after allowing for other risk factors. A study like this shows a link, not proof that chili prevents heart disease.[7]Study

  Technical detail: Moli-sani cohort, enrolled 2005–2010; median follow-up 8.2 years; 1,236 deaths; >4 times/week vs none or rare: all-cause HR 0.77 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.90), cardiovascular HR 0.66 (0.50 to 0.86), ischemic heart disease HR 0.56 (0.35 to 0.87), cerebrovascular HR 0.39 (0.20 to 0.75).

• A 2022 review of 11 earlier reviews looked at spicy food and chili peppers. Eating them was linked with a lower risk of death and of heart and metabolic disease. It was also linked with a higher risk of cancers of the esophagus (food pipe), stomach and gallbladder. The authors say the overall health effects are unclear.[8]Review or trial

  Technical detail: umbrella review of 11 systematic reviews and meta-analyses (27 findings); significant nonlinear dose-response between capsaicin intake and gastric cancer risk.