Dr. Christopher, famed American herbalist, stated: "In 35 years of practice, I have never on house calls lost one heart attack patient and the reason is, whenever I go in--if they are still breathing--I pour down them a cup of cayenne tea - a teaspoon of cayenne in a cup of hot water -and within minutes they are up and around."

Hmm, I kinda like the caveat about “if they are still breathing...”. :)

All kidding aside, Cayenne does offer amazing heart and circulatory benefits. It boosts the circulation and enhances the action of the heart, while at the same time helping to lower blood pressure. Conversely, if your blood pressure is too low, it can help to raise it. Cayenne is called “the great equalizer” in herbal medicine, for this reason.

Capsaicin cream has been shown to help relieve osteoarthritis pain, post-herpetic neuropathy (the pain after shingles), and peripheral neuropathy, which can occur with diabetes and other conditions. It does so by depleting the nerve endings of “substance P,” a pain-impulse-transmitting chemical.

It’s also handy in the kitchen for small cuts. Next time you nick yourself, sprinkle some Cayenne on your cut to help staunch the bleeding – it really works, often in less than a minute.

Sprinkle some in your boots to keep your toes toasty, too!

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