Side Effects of Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne Pepper Bad Points -- Can It Burn Your Stomach?

What are the side effects of cayenne pepper? What are the cayenne pepper bad points? Well, it is certainly hot to the taste and can take some getting used to. (It is bearable, though, and it's not as bad as you think.) Drinking what I like to call the "cayenne pepper detoxification drink" is not for the faint of heart. Actually, it literally is. :)

In addition, when one starts to imbibe cayenne pepper via a glass of warm water -- that is the preferred and ideal method -- it can come out during a bowel movement with an uncomfortable burning. This is temporary, though.

Still, don't worry, it is very, very beneficial and the body will quickly adapt. In fact, cayenne pepper will help clear up hemorrhoids if taken regularly -- especially if the hemorrhoid sufferer changes their diet to one very rich in fiber. I know this as it helped me in this way and others.

To mitigate the heat of cayenne, I suggest starting with just a 1/4th of a teaspoon of cayenne in a glass of three to four ounces of lukewarm water. (I used to drink eight ounces of water with the cayenne pepper powder but no more. Three to four ounces is sufficient.)

Start with 30,000 to 50,000 SHU cayenne. Be patient and let your body build up a tolerance to hotter cayenne. There's no need to rush here. You'll get great therapeutic health benefits from 30k to 50k cayenne pepper powder.

Perhaps have another glass of cool water to perhaps rinse your mouth as it is hot to the taste. The heat on the tongue, lips and throat dissipates quickly, though. I chug my daily glass quickly and this seems the best way to go over capsules. Yes, you can take it in capsule form but its effects won’t be immediate the way they would be by direct application.

There are also some who suggest combining lemon water and cayenne pepper for fast metabolism. (There are also some who think that a combination of cayenne lemon fat burn facilitates adipose (fat tissue) loss. That's debatable, but drinking a blend of lemon water and cayenne pepper for fast metabolism is more palatable.

Drinking the cayenne pepper detoxification drink daily will produce obvious benefits, and the body will acclimate very quickly to cayenne’s native heat. Within a six months, you will be able to drink a tablespoon of cayenne pepper without too much discomfort.

Still, you could get the benefits you want by taking at most a teaspoon of cayenne pepper two times a day (ideally, three times a day). Yes, you could go on a cayenne fruit diet, but drinking it is easier and more convenient.

In essence, side effects of cayenne pepper have never really been reported**. Its native heat prevents most people from using it and even those who are strong proponents of its many health benefits use it judiciously. The general rule of thumb, however, is avoid doing anything to the extreme and that is wise counsel.

However, according to studies done at the University of Maryland Medical Center (2010) in the United States, researchers conclude that those "who are allergic to latex, bananas, kiwi, chestnuts, and avocado may also have an allergy to cayenne" (para. 19).

Moreover, researchers at the Univ. of Maryland also assert that "Eating cayenne as a spice is considered safe during pregnancy, but pregnant women should avoid taking cayenne as a supplement. Cayenne does pass into breast milk, so nursing mothers should avoid cayenne both as a spice and a supplement" (para. 20).

That is sound advice, I think, for nursing mothers.

Side Effects of Cayenne Pepper, Part 2

Since I wrote this page, I've received a lot of emails from those who have been using cayenne for years as well as those who already have been interested in it. That is gratifying. I recently received, however, an email that really surprised me.

Let me highlight the key points. The lady who emailed me, Betsy of California, wrote the following:

"I gave my boyfriend [Kevin] 1/2 tsp [of 160,000 SHU] cayenne and had him slam a bunch of water (45 min or so after we ate) and after 5 min his stomach was cramping so bad, then his face became flush red, his eyes rolled in his head, he wasn't breathing, he passed out with his eyes open (for about 4 seconds) and his jaw locked up. 

Then he came back, breathing became normal and turned pasty white got up stumbled to the bathroom threw up less than a tablespoon of dark liquid and his whole body was covered in a light sweat. Now he is laying on the couch, nothing is swelling or itching and he is not having any problems breathing.  It is about 20 min later he feels a little chilled, can sense the cayenne is or was in his stomach although it doesn't burn he says he can feel that it is present."

Needless to say, I'd never heard of such a reaction to cayenne and I have to admit I was a little spooked as to what happened. The next day, I talked to a relative who is a registered nurse. I also talked to a master herbalist and the consensus with both was that he went into shock for just a few seconds and then came out of it. (That was my thought too, actually.)

The master herbalist who has been a practitioner of herbs for over 30 years told me he started with too hot of cayenne and took way too much. "He needs to work up to hotter cayenne," he told me. I readily concured.

My nurse relative told me it was not an allergic reaction but shock.

Moreover, the herbalist told me a personal story. Around 30 years ago had an ulcer and he vomited up something similar to what Kevin of California did. He also suggested the boyfriend Kevin might have had an ulcer or perhaps even a tumor that the cayenne brought up.

The follow up to the story is that Kevin has started taking cayenne but in a more measured, sensible manner and is doing fine (he's up to half a teaspoon two times a day with 40,000 SHU cayenne). So, this story had a happy ending but it still should be very instructive to you. Cayenne is a very powerful therapeutic herbal agent (a spice in actuality but we'll call it an herb in that context).

As such, it should be used with judgment and wisdom. Cayenne is very beneficial for you but start small -- that, I suppose is the lesson to be learned from Betsy and Kevin's story.

One last thing. According to Kelley Eidem, M.D., author of The Doctor Who Cures Cancer, those with type A blood should avoid hot peppers. He quotes the book Eat Right 4 Your Type in making this assertion. This is the first time I've ever heard of that. Quite honestly, I don't think it's a problem.

Dr. Christopher in his voluminous writings never mentioned blood type being a determining factor in the selection of medicinal herbs and spices. I will personally put my trust in that. To the best of my knowledge, my blood type is B+ and I've experienced tremendous benefits from cayenne pepper.

Conclusion

Just taking it daily, even at the very least one warm glass of 1/4th a teaspoon is certainly going to give you tremendous benefits. My herbalist friend told me he has had great benefits with just 30 to 50k SHU cayenne. Me too. Hotter cayenne is great but it needs to be built up to. I hope you can see that.

If you do take it, after just a couple of days, you will find your body acclimating and you'll notice your heart improving and your blood pressure lowering -- I actually found this happening to me.

Lastly, you can get the cayenne pepper powder at a health food retailer. Cayenne in powder form is very inexpensive. The liquid extract is more, however.

If you prefer the liquid, I recommend buying organic cayenne extract from organic certified companies. Having it in liquid form is useful in the case of an emergency like if somebody is having a heart attack. (You could also make your own cayenne pepper tincture, but it's more convenient to just buy it.) Just putting about a teaspoonful of drops in the mouth under the tongue can help revive the person.

I hope you enjoyed this side effects of cayenne pepper page.

Yours in health,
CayennePepper.info