Peel open a chili pepper and you'll find that the source of its spiciness is capsaicin, which is abundant in any chili pepper. Additionally, in red and yellow chilies, bell peppers, there is another component called capsanthin, which is a type of carotenoid and is currently a popular antioxidant.
Chili peppers can also relieve pain. Since ancient times, chili peppers have been used to alleviate pain, and scientists have only recently discovered that capsaicin can stimulate and deplete the neurotransmitter substance P, which transmits pain signals throughout the nervous system.
Based on the pain-relieving mechanism of capsaicin, chili pepper cream has been used to alleviate pain from conditions like shingles and trigeminal neuralgia. Applying capsaicin to the skin dilates microvessels, promotes circulation, and causes the skin to redden and feel warm.
Chili peppers can alleviate the discomfort of a cold. Spicy foods are often thought to help expel phlegm, and it now seems this is true. Spicy foods can thin secreted mucus and help it be coughed out to avoid obstructing the respiratory tract. Professor I. Ziment of the University of California even said: "Many cold and cough medicines sold in pharmacies have the exact same effects as chili peppers, but I think eating chili peppers is better because it has absolutely no side effects."
Capsanthin prevents cancer. From an epidemiological perspective, many nations that love spicy food, such as those in Southeast Asia and India, have a lower incidence of cancer compared to Western countries.
Scientists speculate that these spicy foods contain many antioxidant substances, and oxidation is directly linked to chronic diseases, cancer, and aging. Recent research from the University of Hawaii in the United States also points out that carotenoids in vegetables like chili peppers and carrots can stimulate genes that convey messages between cells (because when an organ becomes cancerous, the system for exchanging messages between cells breaks down), which may play an important role in cancer prevention.
Prevents arteriosclerosis. A single red chili contains a day's worth of the required amount of beta-carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant that can counteract the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) into a harmful form. Once LDL is oxidized, it's like cream left out of the refrigerator, turning into a bad substance that clogs arteries.
In other words, beta-carotene begins to intervene at the initial stage of arteriosclerosis.