By Melody Horst
Cayenne is probably one of the most used herbs. It resides in almost every kitchen, and is used in hundreds of ways. Though cayenne is normally put in food, it is an amazing emergency help. I would like to emphasize that it is really good for the circulatory system. It helps to lower blood pressure, as well as increase it (though not at the same time, of course), it helps to stop bleeding (including very bad nose bleeds!), it stops strokes and heart attacks, helps thin your blood, and even can help colds and sore throats in the winter.
I’ll list out some of the different uses and why it works. But first, let me explain why I reference cayenne as an “emergency herb”. It’s because it works so incredibly fast on so many different things that could possibly severely harm you, as well as keeping you away from the doctor and all his huge bills as much as possible.
I was recently at the Mother Earth News Fair, where I heard Dr. David Christopher talk about the benefits of cayenne. Following are some things that I learned.
Bleeding
For external bleeding you can take cayenne orally or apply it straight to the wound. The cayenne will help your body to form a clot around the new hole in your circulatory system, and stop the bleeding. Back in 2013, several of us were at a fair, and Mom got a really bad nose bleed. The first aid people at the front entrance; couldn’t do too much for her, so someone called 911. When the paramedics got there, they said, “We don’t have anything in the ambulance that will help. We’ll have to take you to the hospital.”
Ridiculous, I thought. Any ambulance should be outfitted for something as common as a nosebleed! By now the bleeding had slowed down. We called Dad and waited for him to come before deciding what to do, so the ambulance left. By the time Dad got there (30 – 45 minutes later), the bleeding had stopped, and he and Mom went on home. If only we’d known about cayenne…
My brother Nathan’s sheep will sometimes hemorrhage while giving birth to their lambs. He puts cayenne in their mouth, and the bleeding stops almost immediately.
Strokes and Heart Attacks
Strokes and heart attacks happen when blood is not properly hydrated, and begins to clump (not clot—a clot is what forms over a lesion in the walls of your veins). When the clump comes to a place in the brain that it can’t fit through, it stops, and you have a stroke. What you want to do is put a dropper full of cayenne tincture in the person’s mouth (if they are unconscious, put it in drop by drop so that they don’t choke) or mix a teaspoon of cayenne powder in a glass of warm water and have them drink it down. If they don’t get better very soon, give them some more in smaller doses. The warm water will help get the cayenne to the blood quicker. One time, my grandmother began having the symptoms of a stroke and almost passed out. My aunt put two droppers of cayenne tincture under her tongue, and Grandma quickly came back (she said she hardly felt any sting!). By the time the ambulance got there, Grandma was sitting up in a chair. When they asked her how she was doing, she said, “Just fine!”
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure generally happens when there is a clog somewhere in the circulatory system that is keeping oxygen from getting to all your cells. The cells then sends out an alarm that they are lacking oxygen and your heart begins to pump harder to try to push the clog out of the way and get the blood to the cells. If you take medication for it, those poor cells will probably die. Taking half to one teaspoon of cayenne powder in a glass of water will naturally increase circulation, taking care of the clog, and get the needed oxygen to your cells. Your heart will then resume its normal rate.
Colds and Sore Throats
Though this may not be everyone’s favorite remedy, it does work to take away sore throats, calm fevers, and take away the achiness of the flu.
Fire Water:
Cold and flu fighter
½ c. boiling water
½ c. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tsp. salt
Stir together until the salt is dissolved. Add the vinegar. Take 1 tsp every 15-20 minutes until all symptoms are gone. It is important that you take it faithfully if you want to see the best results Note: taking a bite of bread and half a glass of water afterwards really helps the burning.
Aching Joints
For aching joints in general, mix one heaping teaspoon full of cayenne powder in a half cup of apple cider vinegar and shake well. Let it set for several days and shake often. Apply this to the joint and let it do its job. My brother used cayenne and honey mixed together on his aching wrist. He would apply it each night and bandage it up, and by morning it would feel a lot better. For arthritis, try mixing cayenne into castor oil until it’s fiery red. You can then apply it to the aching area and bandage it up. There should be a noticeable difference within several days.