Cayenne with a Kick, for Pain –

Cayenne contains a compound called capsaicin. Capsaicin is the ingredient that gives peppers their heat. Generally, the hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. In addition to adding heat to the pepper, capsaicin relieves pain.

Ointments made from capsaicin have been found to relieve the pain of arthritis when applied externally, and taken internally; capsaicin triggers the release of endorphins in the brain, which has a pain relieving effect similar to that of morphine. Capsaicin has also been found to provide effective pain relief without the numbing effect usually associated with anesthetics, and the inability in some cases, to operate machinery, along with the usual sedative effects some painkillers cause.

Researchers at Harvard University recently announced that they believe capsaicin can be used to target pain receptors, without affecting nerve cells and causing the side effects mentioned above.

You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to incorporate cayenne into your cuisine. Try to use cayenne by taste and add it to your food in place of black pepper. It is also quite good in salsa. Keep a bottle of it in your house for emergencies.

You can also get cayenne in supplement form. Try to get capsules of at least 500mg, with at least 40,000 heat units, although some may have up to 100,000 heat units.