Capsicum (cayenne)
The Capsicum, or Bird Pepper, or Guinea Pepper, is a native of
tropical countries; but it has been cultivated throughout Great
Britain as a stove plant for so many years (since the time
of Gerard, 1636) as to have become practically indigenous.
Moreover, its fruit-pods are so highly useful, whether as a
condiment, or as a medicine, [79] no apology is needed for
including it among serviceable Herbal Simples. The Cayenne
pepper of our tables is the powdered fruit of Bird Pepper, a variety
of the Capsicum plant, and belonging likewise to the order of
Solanums; whilst the customary hot pickle which we take with
our cold meats is prepared from another variety of the Capsicum
plant called Chilies. This plant--the Bird Pepper--exercises an
important medicinal action, which has only been recently
recognized by doctors. The remarkable success which has attended
the use of Cayenne pepper as a substitute for alcohol with hard
drinkers, and as a valuable drug in delirium tremens, has lately
led physicians to regard the Capsicum as a highly useful,
stimulating, and restorative medicine. For an intemperate person,
who really desires to wean himself from taking spirituous liquors,
and yet feels to need a substitute at first, a mixture of tincture of
Capsicum with tincture of orange peel and water will answer very
effectually, the doses being reduced in strength and frequency
from day to day. In delirium tremens, if the tincture of
Capsicum be given in doses of half-a-dram well diluted with
water, it will reduce the tremor and agitation in a few hours,
inducing presently a calm prolonged sleep. At the same time the
skin will become warm, and will perspire naturally; the pulse will
fall in quickness, but whilst regaining fulness and volume; and the
kidneys, together with the bowels, will act freely.
Chemically the plant furnishes an essential oil with a crystalline
principle, capsicin, of great power. This oil may be taken
remedially in doses of from half to one drop rubbed up with some
powdered white sugar, and mixed with a wineglassful of hot
water.
The medicinal tincture is made with sixteen grains of [80] the
powdered Capsicum to a fluid ounce of spirit of wine; and the
dose of this tincture is from five to twenty drops with one or two
tablespoonfuls of water. In the smaller doses it serves admirably to
relieve pains in the loins when depending on a sluggish inactivity
of the kidneys. Unbroken chilblains may be readily cured by
rubbing them once a day with a piece of sponge saturated with the
tincture of Capsicum until a strong tingling is induced. In the early
part of the present century, a medicine of Capsicum with salt was
famous for curing severe influenza with putrid sore throat. Two
dessert spoonfuls of small red pepper; or three of ordinary cayenne
pepper, were beaten together with two of fine salt, into a paste,
and with half-a-pint of boiling water added thereto. Then the
liquor was strained off when cold, and half-a-pint of very sharp
vinegar was mixed with it, a tablespoonful of the united mixture
being given to an adult every half, or full hour, diluted with water
if too strong. For inflammation of the eyes, with a relaxed state of
the membranes covering the eyeballs and lining the lids, the
diluted juice of the Capsicum is a sovereign remedy. Again, for
toothache from a decayed molar, a small quantity of cayenne
pepper introduced into the cavity will often give immediate relief.
The tincture or infusion given in small doses has proved useful to
determine outwardly the eruption of measles and scarlet fever,
when imperfectly developed because of weakness. Also for a
scrofulous discharge of matter from the ears, Capsicum tincture, of
a weak strength, four drops with a tablespoonful of cold water
three times a day, to a child, will prove curative.
A Capsicum ointment, or Chili paste, scarcely ever fails to
relieve chronic rheumatism when rubbed in [81] topically for ten
minutes at a time with a gloved hand; and an application
afterwards of dry heat will increase the redness and warmth, which
persist for some while, and are renewed by walking. This ointment,
or paste, is made of the Oleo-resin--Capsicin--half-an-ounce,
and Lanolin five ounces, the unguent being melted, and, after
adding the Capsicin, letting them be stirred together until
cold. The powder or tincture of Capsicum will give energy to a
languid digestion, and will correct the flatulency often incidental
to a vegetable diet. Again, a gargle containing Capsicum in a
proper measure will afford prompt relief in many forms of sore
throat, both by its stimulating action, and by virtue of its special
affinities (H.); this particularly holds good for a relaxed state of
the throat, the uvula, and the tonsils. Cayenne pepper is employed
in the adulteration of gin.
The Peter Piper of our young memories took pickled pepper by
the peck. He must have been a Homoeopathic prover with a
vengeance; but has left no useful record of his experiments--the
more's the pity--for our guidance when prescribing its diluted
forms.
More
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The term Apple was applied by the ancients indiscriminately to almost every kind of round fleshy fruit, [27] such as the thornapple, the pineapple, and the loveapple. Paris gave to Venus a golden apple; Atalanta lost her classic race by staying to p... Arum--the Common
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(Melissa officinalis, Linn.), a perennial herb of the natural order Labiatae. The popular name is a contraction of balsam, the plant having formerly been considered a specific for a host of ailments. The generic name, Melissa, is the Greek for bee a... Barberry
The Common Barberry (Berberis), which gives its name to a special order of plants, grows wild as a shrub in our English copses and hedges, particularly about Essex, being so called from Berberin, a pearl oyster, because the leaves are glossy like th... Barley
Hordeum Vulgare--common Barley--is chiefly used in Great Britain for brewing and distilling; but, it has dietetic and medicinal virtues which entitle it to be considered among serviceable simples. Roman gladiators who depended for their strength and... Basil
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(Ocymum basilicum, Linn.), an annual herb of the order Labiatae. The popular name, derived from the specific, signifies royal or kingly, probably because of the plant's use in feasts. In France it is known as herb royale, royal herb. The generic nam... Bean
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This, the Herba Benedicta, or Blessed Herb, or Avens (Geum Urbanum) is a very common plant of the Rose tribe, in our woods, hedges, and shady places. It has an erect hairy stem, red at the base, with terminal bright yellow drooping flowers. The ord... Betony
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English hedgerows exhibit Bryony of two distinct sorts--the white and the black--which differ much, the one from the other, as to medicinal properties, and which belong to separate orders of plants. The White Bryony is botanically a cucumber, being ... Buckthorn
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(see Pimpernel). ... Buttercup
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The time has come, as the walrus said in Alice and the Looking Glass, to talk of many things-- Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax; of Cabbages, and kings. The Cabbage, which is fabled to have sprung from the tears of the Spartan lawg... Capsicum (cayenne)
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The common Caraway is a herb of the umbelliferous order found growing on many waste places in England, though not a true native of Great Britain. Its well-known aromatic seeds should be always at hand in the cupboard of every British housewife. The ... Caraway
(Carum carui, Linn.), a biennial or an annual herb of the natural order Umbelliferae. Its names, both popular and botanical, are supposed to be derived from Caria, in Asia Minor, where the plant is believed first to have attracted attention. From ve... Carrot
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or =cat mint= (Nepeta cataria, Linn.), a perennial herb of the natural order Labiatae. The popular name is in allusion to the attraction the plant has for cats. They not only eat it, but rub themselves upon it purring with delight. The generic name ... Celandine (greater And Lesser)
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(Allium Schoenoprasum, Linn.), a bulbous, onion-like perennial belonging to the Liliaceae. Naturally the plants form thick tufts of abundant, hollow, grasslike leaves from their little oval bulbs and mat of fibrous roots. The short flower stems be... Christmas Rose--black Hellebore
This well-known plant, a native of Southern Europe, and belonging to the Ranunculus order, is grown commonly in our gardens for the sake of its showy white flowers, conspicuous in winter, from December to February. The root has been famous since ti... Clary
(Salvia sclarea, Linn.), a perennial herb of the natural order Labiatae. The popular name is a corruption of the specific. In the discussion on sage will be found the significance of the generic name. Syria is said to be the original home of clary, ... Clover
In this country we possess about twenty species of the trefoil, or Clover, which is a plant so well known in its general features by its abundance in every field and on every grass plot, as not to need any detailed description. The special variety e... Club Moss
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(Coriandrum sativum, Linn.), "a plant of little beauty and of easiest culture," is a hardy annual herb of the natural order Umbelliferae. The popular name is derived from the generic, which comes from the ancient Greek Koris, a kind of bug, in allus... Cowslip
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In these days of jaded appetites, condiments and canned goods, how fondly we turn from the dreary monotony of the "dainty" menu to the memory of the satisfying dishes of our mothers! What made us, like Oliver Twist, ask for more? Were those flavor... Culinary Herbs Defined
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(Cuminum Cyminum, Linn.), a low-growing annual herb of the Nile valley, but cultivated in the Mediterranean region, Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, India, China, and Palestine from very early times, (See Isaiah xviii, 25-27 and Matthew xxiii, 23.) Pliny is ... Currants
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