Capsicum frutescens
StarCapsicum frutescens
Synonyms: Capsicum annuum var. frutescens, Capsicum pendulum var. majus, Capsicum conoides, Capsicum frutescens var. pendulum, Capsicum frutescens var. minus, Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum, Capsicum frutescens var. lanicaule, Capsicum fastigiatum, Capsicum indicum, Capsicum indicum var. ribesium, Capsicum pendulum, Capsicum indicum subsp. elaeocarpon, Capsicum indicum var. pendulum, Capsicum pendulum var. minus, Capsicum assamicum, Capsicum annuum var. minus
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Across the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and tropical Asia, the pungent fruits of Capsicum frutescens are taken as a culinary stimulant, carminative, and circulatory remedy, and applied as topical counterirritant preparations for muscle and joint pain. In Western herbal medicine cayenne-type Capsicum fruit is monographed for use as a peripheral circulatory stimulant, topical analgesic, and carminative, with modern clinical use of capsaicin in creams for neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain (Bone & Mills, 2013).
Botanical Description
Capsicum frutescens, the source of tabasco, bird, and piri-piri peppers, is a short-lived perennial shrubby herb in the Solanaceae native to tropical Central and South America and now cultivated and naturalized throughout the world's tropics and warm temperate regions. Plants reach 0.5 to 2 metres in height with woody, much-branched stems and glabrous to finely pubescent young growth. The alternate, simple leaves are ovate to elliptic, 4 to 12 centimetres long, entire, and slender-petiolate. The flowers are borne singly or in pairs at the nodes on erect pedicels and have a small five- or six-lobed greenish white to pale yellow rotate corolla with violet anthers. The fruit is a small, erect, narrowly conical to ovoid berry 1 to 4 centimetres long, ripening through green to bright red, orange, or yellow, with pungent placental tissue and a hollow interior containing flat pale seeds. Pungency is conferred by the capsaicinoid alkaloids, particularly capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, concentrated in the placenta.
Active Constituents
Capsaicin
Capsaicinoid (vanillylamide alkaloid)Concentration: Principal pungent principle; capsaicinoids typically 0.1-1.5% of dried fruit, of which capsaicin is the major fraction
Selective agonist of the TRPV1 (vanilloid) receptor on sensory C-fibres. Initial excitation is followed by desensitisation and depletion of substance P, the basis of its topical analgesic action in neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain. Also produces vasodilation, thermogenesis and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effects.
Dihydrocapsaicin
CapsaicinoidConcentration: Second most abundant capsaicinoid, commonly ~20-40% of total capsaicinoids
Shares TRPV1 agonism and pungency with capsaicin, contributing to the overall analgesic, thermogenic and metabolic effects of the fruit.
Nordihydrocapsaicin
CapsaicinoidConcentration: Minor capsaicinoid (a few percent of total capsaicinoids)
A less pungent capsaicinoid that adds to the total TRPV1-mediated activity of the spice.
Capsanthin
Carotenoid (xanthophyll)Concentration: Major red pigment of ripe fruit
Lipophilic antioxidant responsible for the red colour of ripe pods; scavenges free radicals and may inhibit LDL oxidation.
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Vitamin / organic acidConcentration: High in fresh fruit (often exceeding many citrus fruits per gram)
Water-soluble antioxidant and essential nutrient contributing to the fruit's nutritional value and antioxidant capacity.
Carotenoids (beta-carotene, provitamin A)
CarotenoidConcentration: Present in coloured fruit
Provitamin A activity and antioxidant action; contribute to colour and to reported cardioprotective/antioxidant properties.
Flavonoids (luteolin, quercetin and glycosides)
FlavonoidConcentration: Minor constituents of fruit and leaf
Polyphenolic antioxidants that add to the anti-inflammatory and free-radical-scavenging activity of the plant.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin and other anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs
Capsaicin can inhibit platelet aggregation and promote fibrinolysis; combined with anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents this may additively prolong bleeding time.
Clinical note: Monitor for bruising or bleeding when large or regular medicinal doses are combined with warfarin, heparin or aspirin.
ACE inhibitors (e.g. enalapril, lisinopril)
Both capsaicin (via substance P / sensory-nerve stimulation) and ACE inhibitors (via bradykinin accumulation) can trigger cough; concurrent use may worsen ACE-inhibitor-associated cough.
Clinical note: Consider capsaicin use if a patient on an ACE inhibitor reports a new or worsened dry cough.
Theophylline
Capsaicin increases gastrointestinal permeability and has been shown to enhance the absorption of theophylline, potentially raising plasma concentrations toward the toxic range.
Clinical note: Use caution and consider theophylline monitoring with regular heavy cayenne intake, given theophylline's narrow therapeutic index.
Preparation Methods
Topical plaster / cream (capsaicin)
Parts: Ripe fruit
Standardised capsicum plasters or low-concentration (0.025-0.075%) capsaicin creams are applied to intact skin over painful joints, muscles or areas of neuropathic pain. A burning sensation on first applications is expected and usually diminishes with repeated use. Do not apply to broken skin, eyes or mucous membranes, and wash hands after use.
Culinary spice / infusion (internal)
Parts: Ripe fruit
Small amounts of dried powdered fruit are used as a warming culinary spice or steeped briefly in hot water. Because of gastric irritancy, medicinal internal use should be limited; high doses can cause abdominal pain, and it should be avoided in active peptic ulcer or gastro-oesophageal reflux.
Tincture
Parts: Ripe fruit
An ethanolic tincture (oleoresin) is used in drop doses as a circulatory stimulant and, diluted, as a rubefacient liniment. The concentrated oleoresin is a strong irritant and must be handled with care and kept away from eyes.
Clinical Studies
Topical treatment of chronic low back pain with a capsicum plaster
A Capsicum frutescens plaster applied to the lumbar region for three weeks significantly reduced the Arhus low-back pain subscore versus placebo, with a higher responder rate and good tolerability, supporting topical capsicum as an effective treatment for non-specific low back pain.
Effect of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) ingestion on plasma glucose response and metabolic rate in Thai women
Ingestion of Capsicum frutescens with a glucose load in healthy women lowered the plasma glucose response and transiently increased metabolic rate compared with the control meal, suggesting a role for the fruit in glucose handling and thermogenesis.
Historical Texts
Columbian Exchange / early European herbals
Late 15th-16th centuryKing's American Dispensatory (Felter & Lloyd)
1898British Herbal Pharmacopoeia
20th centuryReferences
- Fattori V, Hohmann MSN, Rossaneis AC, Pinho-Ribeiro FA, Verri WA. Capsaicin: Current Understanding of Its Mechanisms and Therapy of Pain and Other Pre-Clinical and Clinical Uses . Molecules (2016) [DOI]
- Srinivasan K. Biological Activities of Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum) and Its Pungent Principle Capsaicin: A Review . Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2016) [DOI]
- Frerick H, Keitel W, Kuhn U, Schmidt S, Bredehorst A, Kuhlmann M. Topical treatment of chronic low back pain with a capsicum plaster . Pain (2003) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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