Spices, pepper, red or cayenne

Fun Facts

1. Cayenne variety of chili pepper plant is native to the Central American region where it was used as a spicy ingredient in Mexican cuisines for several thousand years.
2. Cayenne pepper is a perennial small shrub, reaching about 90-100 cm in height. It prefers well drained sandy soil and warm climate. Its woody stem with numerous branches is covered with thick dark-green foliage.
3. The cayenne chili peppers are allowed to ripen completely in the plant itself and hand picked upon reaching maturity and turned red. They are then left to dry, which causes them to shrivel.
4. Cayenne chilies have a strong spicy taste that comes to them from the active alkaloid compounds’ capsaicin, capsanthin and capsorubin.
5. Cayenne contains health benefiting alkaloid compound, capsaicin which gives them strong spicy pungent character. Early laboratory studies on experimental mammals suggest that capsaicin has anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties. When used judiciously it also found to reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels in obese individuals.