Capsicum annuum L. (= C. frutescens L.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 159-160

Capsicum annuum L. (= C. frutescens L.)

Names.

Myanmar: ngayok. English: bell pepper, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, hot pepper, red pepper, tabasco.

Range.

New World tropics. Cultivated in Myanmar.

Uses.

Fruit: Used as a rubefacient and hot spice.

Notes.

Worldwide medicinal usage, chemical composition, and toxicity of this species are discussed by Duke (1986). Medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Chemical constituents, pharmacological action, and medicinal uses of Capsicum annuum in Indian Ayurveda are discussed in detail by Kapoor (1990). Indigenous medicinal uses of this species (as dual entries Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens ) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) are described by Dagar and Singh (1999).

The medicinal uses of this plant in the Caribbean region, as well as its chemistry, biological activity, toxicity, and dosages, are discussed by Germosén-Robineau (1997).

The chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and use of this species (as Capsicum frutescens ) for a hunting poison and medicinal plant in Africa are discussed by Neuwinger (1994). A pharmacognostical profile including medicinal uses of this plant (as Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens ) in Africa is given in Iwu (1993). Details of the active chemical compounds, effects, herbal usage, and pharmacological literature of "Cayenne pepper" are given in Fleming (2000).

As noted by Bertran (1997), in modern medicine, a purified extract of the common chili pepper is used in a cream. Its pain-relieving qualities are based on the active ingredient “capsaicin”, and capsaicin cream is used "as a substitute for the previously-required narcotic analgesics that were used to relieve the excruciating and often intractable pain of a condition that can follow shingles-postherpetic neuralgia. Capsaicin blocks pain signals that come from nerves just under the skin. Pain signals from tissues near the skin are greatly diminished or completely eliminated following continued application of capsaicin. No other compound is known to do this."

Reference.

Nordal (1963).