Many people prefer to treat chronic health problems by natural means. They hate taking pills, and the specter of side effects makes them nervous. After all, any effective medicine has a range of actions-those you want and those you’d prefer to avoid. So it is no wonder that when folks find a natural approach working for them, they are enthusiastic. This reader reports that taking cayenne, a form of hot chili pepper, helps keep blood pressure under control.
Liquid Cayenne Brings Blood Pressure Down:
Q. I use liquid cayenne to bring down my blood pressure. It is strong, so I only need a drop or two a day. It makes the blood vessels expand. The last time I checked, my blood pressure was 118/70. Previously, it had been up around 140/90.
A. Capsaicin, the compound that makes cayenne hot, has indeed been shown to make blood vessels relax in rodents (Open Heart, online June 17, 2015). When blood vessels relax, blood pressure drops. Your experience suggests that capsaicin should be tested in humans for its potential to help control blood pressure.
An epidemiological study reported last year found that Chinese people who ate chili peppers in their food several times a week were less likely to die during the seven years the scientists were keeping tabs. (You can read about it here.) We don’t know if the most important characteristic of those hot peppers is their ability to reduce blood pressure, their anti-cancer activity or their inflammation-fighting property.
