Cayenne Pepper for Healthier Skin
Getting healthier skin is important to most of us. Since cayenne is such a potent stimulant and vasodilator, it can be very helpful in clearing up minor skin problems, from acne to psoriasis to dry skin. Try taking 2 capsules of 40,000+ heat unit cayenne with lunch and dinner. Try applying a capsaicin ointments on the affected skin region. For the bold readers, mix 1 capsule of cayenne powder with a small amount of pure aloe vera gel. Apply to acne or dry skin at night. Make sure that you do not get any of this solution into your eyes. Wash hands after applying to face.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a common, painful and embarrassing skin condition involving red scaly formations throughout the body, usually centered on the elbows, knees and arms. Several studies have shown the impressive results from using capsaicin ointment in psoriasis. In one study, 44 patients with widely distributed psoriasis used a capsaicin ointment on one side of the body and a placebo ointment on the other side of the body. After six weeks, there was considerable improvement in scaling and redness (erythema) on the sides of the body treated with capsaicin.[43]
In another much larger study, 197 patients with itching psoriasis were treated in double blind fashion with half of the patients randomly assigned to getting capsaicin ointment and the other half of the patients getting a placebo ointment. The psoriasis was totally or markedly cleared in 82% of the capsaicin treated group versus 33% in the placebo group.[44]
Shingles (herpes zoster)
Many children suffer through chicken pox, which is provided to us compliments of the herpes zoster virus. This virus may then lay dormant in the body for decades and re-surface in senior years when the immune system is compromised by poor diet, stress or whatever. The new batch of herpes zoster is often called shingles, and is an extremely painful condition, since the virus attacks the nerves in the skin region. In 7 studies using capsaicin ointment to treat the pain of shingles, ALL showed a substantial decrease in the pain score.[45]
In one study, doctors instructed patients suffering from shingles pain (post herpetic neuralgia) to apply capsaicin ointment 4 times a day to the affected painful area. After 8 weeks, 49% of the patients reported improvements in pain, but 13% discontinued the use of the creme due to the burning sensation. Relief was usually noticed within the first 3 weeks and pain relief peaked at 5 weeks. Cayenne has shown to benefit many other ailments, especially those causing pain.
Mouth sores (oral mucositis)
The incidence of cancer in this country has gone from 3% of deaths in 1900 to 22% of deaths in 1990 and climbing. More than 70% of cancer patients receive chemotherapy, which often causes mouth sores, a.k.a. oral mucositis. These painful blisters will stop the cancer patient from eating, which generates severe malnutrition and a compromised immune system. Mouth sores can be the beginning of the end for the cancer patient. Getting healthier
Cancer Fighting
At the Yale Pain Management Center in New Haven, Connecticut, researchers devised an ingenious method of delivering capsaicin to cancer patients with mouth sores. The researchers mixed the cayenne with taffy candy. As reported in the prestigious Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the sugar was able to hide some of the burning sensation and the taffy stayed in the mouth long enough for the capsaicin to do its topical pain control management. All of the 11 patients in the study had signficant decrease in mouth sore pain, with 2 patients reporting complete elimination of pain.[31] To follow this protocol, mix up some taffy from your favorite recipe and add several capsules of cayenne powder to the mix. This can be a great step towards getting healthier after cancer.
