Chili peppers have a spicy, warming nature and many uses such as antiseptic, digestive stimulant, and malaria treatment, but eating too much can be harmful to the stomach.
According to Dr. Huynh Tan Vu, from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City - Branch 3, parts of the chili plant such as the fruit, roots, and leaves have been used as medicine for generations.
According to traditional medicine, chili peppers have a spicy, hot taste. Their effects include warming the stomach, dispelling cold, strengthening the spleen, aiding digestion, relieving pain, and fighting cancer. Many people use chili peppers to treat stomach pain caused by cold, poor digestion, joint pain, and externally to treat snake and insect bites.
Modern medical research is consistent with traditional medicine regarding the medicinal effects of chili peppers. Accordingly, chili peppers contain several active compounds, including capsicain, an alkaloid present in approximately 0.05-2% of their composition. Its chemical structure has been identified as isodexenic vanillylamide acid, which evaporates at high temperatures and causes strong sneezing.
Additionally, there is capsaicin, the active ingredient that causes redness and heat, which only appears when the chili pepper ripens, accounting for 0.01-0.1%. Capsaicin stimulates the brain to produce endorphins, an endogenous morphine-like substance with analgesic properties, particularly beneficial for patients with chronic arthritis and cancer.
Chili peppers help prevent heart disease because they contain certain compounds that improve blood circulation, preventing platelet aggregation which can easily lead to cardiovascular events. This fruit also helps prevent high blood pressure.
Chili peppers have several other benefits, including controlling cardiovascular disease, preventing cancer, preventing strokes, boosting immunity, fighting colds, treating headaches, lowering blood cholesterol, and aiding weight loss.
Nowadays, many places use capsicain, a substance found in chili peppers, to make topical patches or creams that effectively relieve pain from the aftereffects of shingles.
Some medicinal remedies using chili peppers.
Treating hair loss caused by chemotherapy.
Soak 100g of chili peppers in white wine for 10-20 days. Apply this wine to the scalp to stimulate hair growth.
Treating poor appetite and digestion caused by cancer.
100g of chili peppers and 100g of black beans, ground into a powder, should be consumed daily.
Treating slow digestion
Chili peppers are used as a spice and eaten daily.
Treating stomach pain caused by cold
Grind 1-2 chili peppers and 20g of turmeric into a powder and drink 2-3 times a day.
Treating chronic arthritis
1-2 chili peppers; 30g each of *Dendrobium nobile* (a type of vine) and *Smilax glabra* (a type of root). Boil these ingredients together and drink one dose per day.
Treating eczema
Take a handful of fresh chili leaves and one spoonful of fermented rice paste. Grind both together, wrap in a clean cloth, and apply to the eczematous area after washing it with salt water.
Treatment for stroke
Crush chili leaves (the small-fruited bird's eye chili variety), add water and a little salt, strain the liquid and give it to the patient to drink, and apply the remaining pulp to the teeth to help them regain consciousness.
Treatment for snake and scorpion bites
Crush chili leaves and apply them to the wound, then bandage it. Do this 1-2 times a day until the pain subsides; healing usually takes 2-3 hours.
Treating psoriasis
Take a large handful of chili pepper leaves (a tightly packed handful, roasted until cooked but not burnt), a bowlful of scraped bamboo sap, 7-9 leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata (a type of medicinal herb), and about 300g of Centella asiatica. Put all ingredients into a pot with 2 liters of water, boil thoroughly, and drink gradually instead of tea. Drinking about 3 pots of this mixture should cure the ailment.
Chronic abdominal pain
Chili pepper root, lemon root, and Huang Li root, about 10g each. Roast them until golden brown, then decoct and drink one dose per day.
Treating back pain and joint pain.
Fifteen ripe chili peppers, three papaya leaves, and 80g of *Cynanchum stauntonii* root are all crushed and soaked in alcohol at a 1:2 ratio. This mixture is then used for massage and will help speed up recovery.
Treating boils
Crush chili leaves with a little salt and apply to a boil that is festering; this will reduce pain, help the boil burst, and promote faster healing.
Treating hoarseness
Use chili peppers as a mouthwash (in the form of tincture).
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