HISTORY: Cayenne or Capsicum was introduced into Britain by Christopher Columbus as Guinea Pepper or “ginnie pepper”. It was used by Native Americans that were located south of the Mexican Border as early as 700 BC. The mixture of chocolate and red chilies was a taste treat reserved for the Aztec royalty. The origin of the word Capsicum is, as best we know, from the Greek word kapto which means “to both”. Cayenne pepper is also known as Guinea spice, cow horn peppers, ale or bird peppers, but most commonly referred to as red peppers. They are loosely related to the jalapeño
chili and belong to the genus Capsicum coming from the similar cultivar-Capsicum annum. On the Scoville scale, cayenne is rated at 30,000-50,000
units.
CULTIVATION: The plant is an annual and can be sown by seed 10-14 days after the last frost date or started indoors. Sow in light well drained soil
medium and keep in a sunny location until sprouted. To transplant into the garden- amend the soil with fertilizer or organic matter – then plant
pepper babies 18-24 inches apart in full sun. Keep the soil moist, but not wet and don’t let it dry out. You may want to use organic mulch. Peppers can be harvested in 70-80 days.
USES: After harvesting, they are used fresh or dried into powder to be used in cooking or preserved for future use. Cayenne pepper can be used in sweet as well as savory dishes. It is used in rubs for meats, poultry or fish or in vegetables dishes. Cayenne contains Vitamin C, B6, E and potassium and flavonoids which gives the chili its antioxidant properties. Capsaicin , a compound found in cayenne peppers may have pain relieving
properties and can be purchased in an OTC cream called Capsacian. It is used for arthritis or other painful conditions as an adjunct or sole therapy in patients who are unresponsive or intolerant of other treatments. There is research being done on this pepper being used to help burn calories,
suppress appetites, treat psoriasis and cluster headaches. Precautions are to wash hands when handling anything with Capsacian and avoid touching any mucous membranes. Patients taking ACE inhibitors such as Catopril for blood pressure or any acid reducers should avoid cayenne. Interaction between the ACE inhibitors and cayenne is noted to increase coughs and if used with the acid reducers can decrease the effectiveness of the drug.
— Sara Zimbleman