Kapanlagi.com - For those of you who love spicy food, you must be familiar with cayenne pepper. In cooking, cayenne pepper is used to add spiciness to various types of food. Chili peppers are also often processed into sambal, as a complementary dish. Sometimes, chili peppers are also consumed directly as a companion to fried foods. Not only adding spiciness, it turns out that there are many benefits of cayenne pepper for health.
For some people, spicy food can stimulate their appetite. It's no wonder that many people like spicy food. In fact, recently spicy food has also become a trend. The high demand then causes the price of chili peppers to skyrocket in the market. However, behind the spicy taste and the often rising prices, there are benefits that should not be underestimated.
Here are some benefits of cayenne pepper for health, summarized from various sources.
1. Improving Immune System
Turns out, chili peppers that have a spicy taste also have a high content of vitamin C. In the human body, vitamin C can function as an antioxidant that fights against free radicals, which are the cause of diseases. Therefore, consuming chili peppers is believed to indirectly improve the immune system and keep us away from the risk of contracting diseases from viruses or bacteria.
2. Facilitating Body Metabolism
The second benefit of chili peppers is their ability to facilitate body metabolism. This ability is supported by the presence of capsaicin in chili peppers. Capsaicin provides a warm reaction to the body. That's why people who eat chili peppers or spicy food in general feel their body getting warm and start sweating.
However, it should be noted that this benefit of chili peppers does not apply to people who can handle spicy food. This is because their bodies have already adapted to the effects of capsaicin in chili peppers.
3. Healthy for the Heart
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In bird's eye chili, there are various beneficial contents for heart health. These contents include, among others, vitamin B6, potassium, folic acid, and beta-carotene. These contents are believed to be very useful in controlling cholesterol and blood pressure. As we know, high cholesterol and blood pressure are one of the triggers for heart attacks.
This means that consuming chili will keep us away from the risk of heart disease. In fact, regular consumption in the long term is believed to keep the heart healthy and able to function properly.
4. Lowering Blood Pressure
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High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the health disorders that many people suffer from. Fortunately, as mentioned earlier, bird's eye chili is effective in lowering blood pressure.
Reported from healthline.com, a study on animals shows that the capsaicin content in chili is believed to relax blood vessels. Based on this assumption, bird's eye chili is believed to be able to lower high blood pressure. However, further research is still needed to determine the exact effects on humans.
5. Reducing Hunger
The capsaicin content in chili peppers is actually beneficial in making us feel full faster. This is because the capsaicin content in chili is believed to decrease the production of ghrelin hormone, or the hormone that stimulates hunger.
Reported from healthline.com, a study revealed that people who consume capsaicin tend to have smaller meal portions compared to those who do not consume it.
6. Improving Digestion
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Until now, we know that consuming too much chili or spicy food can cause digestive problems, such as diarrhea. However, if consumed in the right amount, chili peppers can actually be very good for digestion. The content in chili peppers is believed to stimulate the work of the stomach and protect it from infection threats.
In addition, many people think that spicy food can cause stomach ulcers. However, a study actually states that the capsaicin content in chili peppers is actually beneficial in reducing the risk of gastric ulcer.
7. Improving Eye Health
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Until now, we have known carrots as a vegetable or food ingredient that is beneficial for eye health. In chili peppers, it turns out there is also a compound that is good for eye health, namely vitamin B2. In fact, a source mentions that the benefits of chili peppers in maintaining eye health are equally powerful as carrots. However, to obtain these benefits, you must consume them in the right amount.
8. Relieving Pain
Capsaicin content in chili peppers is also beneficial as a pain reliever. To relieve pain, capsaicin content can be used as a topical medication in the form of cream.
As reported by healthline.com, capsaicin will reduce the amount of substances produced by the body that cause pain. This capsaicin content is considered effective in reducing various types of pain, ranging from muscle pain to pain after surgery.
However, it cannot be used indiscriminately. Make sure to use capsaicin cream that has been tested and trusted. In addition, the cream should not be applied to open wounds on the skin.
Those are some of the benefits of chili peppers for health. Hopefully, it is useful.
(kpl/psp)
Disclaimer: This translation from Bahasa Indonesia to English has been generated by Artificial Intelligence.