Cayenne Pepper: Hot and Healthy

Years ago, while living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a friend introduced my husband to cayenne. He was born and raised in the Caribbean; so you can imagine how he felt like living less than an hour from Lake Superior. Since hot peppers are not a part of his culture (that's Central America), he and cayenne didn't have a history together; but, sure hit it off right away.

Warm at Last

The first noticeable benefit he saw from taking a few cayenne capsules with meals was how they made him more resistant to the miserably cold winters. After no time at all, it was as if he had grown up in the area. He started wearing fewer layers during outdoor activities. I'm not entirely sure how it worked, but it probably had something to do with the improved circulation. He also found that adding the powder into his shoes made a vast difference when rather inactive out in the cold. Yes, it does stain your socks so I would recommend reserving that little weapon for special occasions. But, since he loves experimenting, one day he decided to rub some cayenne and olive oil directly on his feet. Wow! The ground was warm the entire time he was outside but there was one problem. That warmth lasted about 3 days and made it difficult to sleep as his feet felt too warm while the rest of his body was just right.

Wide Awake

It didn't take long for others to notice the boy from the Tropics was not freezing anymore; so, his roommate gave the capsules a try as well. They both took some with the evening meal. That was not a good idea. After lying in bed for hours that night without going to sleep, it finally dawned on my husband that the cayenne was the culprit and if so, his roommate was probably in the same predicament. While laying there in the dark, he asked him if he was awake. He responded with a tired and disappointed: "Yeeaaahhh." Another lesson learned: Don't take cayenne too close to bedtime. They laugh about that now...years later.