# Capsicum

*Cayenne, cayenne pepper, African pepper, chillies, bird pepper; *Capsicum minimum* Roxb. of Grieve; *Capsicum annuum* L. var. *minimum* (Miller) Heiser and small-fruited varieties of *Capsicum frutescens* L.; in pharmacy *Capsici fructus**

**Known today as.** The dried ripe fruit of small-fruited peppers of the family Solanaceae. Grieve describes cayenne as a shrubby perennial two to six feet high, its branches angular and slightly purple at the joints, the fruit red, ovate, and long, with small flat seeds; “Taste very pungent and smell characteristic.” The European Pharmacopoeia requires at least 0.4 per cent of capsaicinoids, reckoned as capsaicin.

Kind: Plant

> **Caution.** For the skin only: not on broken skin, wounds, or eczema, near the eyes, or on mucous membranes, and not under eighteen. Reddening and warmth of the skin are its normal action; extra heat from the sun, a heating pad, warm water, or exercise intensifies it, and treatment should stop if the heat becomes excessive. Allergic reactions such as urticaria and blistering have been reported, rarely. Other topical products should not be used on the same place, the European agency warns, even up to twelve hours after a plaster is removed.

## What was it used for?

A condiment and a stimulant, inward and outward. Grieve calls it “A powerful local stimulant, with no narcotic effect,” useful in atony of the stomach and intestines, “said to be unequalled for warding off diseases,” and outwardly “a strong rubefacient,” applied as a cataplasm or liniment; the powder or tincture served for a relaxed uvula, a gargle for the throat, and the tincture as a paint for chilblains.

## What does modern science say?

The European Medicines Agency’s herbal committee accepts preparations of the fruit, in medicated plasters and semi-solid preparations applied to the skin, on clinical evidence, as ‘well-established use,’ for the relief of muscle pain such as low back pain (monograph of 2015). Its assessment report finds 0.3 to more than 1 per cent of capsaicinoids, chiefly capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, with fatty oil, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid. It judged that trials of plasters and semi-solid forms “indicate some efficacy” in muscular pain, citing a review that found three low-quality trials of topical cayenne preparations giving moderate evidence of benefit over placebo in low back pain, and noted that the effect depends heavily on the other ingredients of a product. Pure synthetic capsaicin in much higher concentrations, used in patches for nerve pain, is a different preparation.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **capsaicin**: chief of the capsaicinoids, which make up 0.3 to more than 1 per cent
- **dihydrocapsaicin**: 
- **carotenoids**: 
- **ascorbic acid**: 

**Mechanism.** Not established in the sources read for this entry.

**Standing.** European Union herbal monograph (2015): well-established use, in plasters and semi-solid preparations on the skin, for muscle pain such as low back pain.

## What lore surrounds it?

Cayenne was adulterated, Grieve warns, with oxide of red lead and with coloured sawdust, and the British Pharmacopoeia’s limit of 6 per cent of ash was set to catch most adulterants. In the West Indies a relish called Mandram, for weak digestion and loss of appetite, was made of sliced cucumbers, shallots or onions, lime juice, Madeira, and a few pods of bird pepper mashed in the liquid.

## What did the older authorities say?

**Grieve, *A Modern Herbal* (1931).** Cayenne pepper, Grieve writes, “was introduced into Britain from India in 1548, and Gerard mentioned it as being cultivated in his time.” She thought it useful for heavy drinkers, “possibly by reducing the dilated blood-vessels and thus relieving chronic congestion,” but not to be used in ordinary gastric catarrh.

## Sources

- Grieve, M. *A Modern Herbal*, “Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum annuum).” As published on botanical.com.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *European Union herbal monograph on Capsici fructus (Capsicum)*. EMA/HMPC/674139/2013, 5 May 2015.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *Assessment report on Capsici fructus*. EMA/HMPC/674138/2013, 5 May 2015.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *European Union herbal monograph on Capsici fructus (Capsicum)*. EMA/HMPC/674139/2013, 5 May 2015.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *Assessment report on Capsici fructus*. EMA/HMPC/674138/2013, 5 May 2015.

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*Capsicum.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-10-16. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/capsicum

Historical description, not medical advice.