Capsicum

• What other names is Capsicum known by?
• What is Capsicum?
• Is Capsicum effective?
• How does Capsicum work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Are there any interactions with medications?
• Dosing considerations for Capsicum.

What other names is Capsicum known by?

African Bird Pepper, African Chillies, African Pepper, Aji, Bird Pepper, Capsaicin, Capsaïcine, Capsicum annuum, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum Fruit, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum minimum, Capsicum pubescens, Cayenne, Cayenne Fruit, Cayenne Pepper, Chili, Chili Pepper, Chilli, Chillies, Cis-capsaicin, Civamide, Garden Pepper, Goat's Pod, Grains of Paradise, Green Chili Pepper, Green Pepper, Hot Pepper, Hungarian Pepper, Ici Fructus, Katuvira, Lal Mirchi, Louisiana Long Pepper, Louisiana Sport Pepper, Mexican Chilies, Mirchi, Oleoresin capsicum, Paprika, Paprika de Hongrie, Pili-pili, Piment de Cayenne, Piment Enragé, Piment Fort, Piment-oiseau, Pimento, Poivre de Cayenne, Poivre de Zanzibar, Poivre Rouge, Red Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Tabasco Pepper, Trans-capsaicin, Zanzibar Pepper, Zucapsaicin, Zucapsaïcine.

What is Capsicum?

Capsicum is an herb. The fruit of the capsicum plant is used to make medicine.

Is Capsicum effective?

Capsicum can help relieve the pain of arthritis, shingles, and nerve pain in people with diabetes when used as a lotion or cream and applied to the skin.

There is some scientific evidence that capsicum might also help reduce painful tender points in people with fibromyalgia when used as a lotion or cream and applied to the skin.

Although some people use capsicum lotion or cream for nerve pain related to HIV or AIDS, it does not seem to be effective for this use.

There isn't enough information to know if capsicum is effective for the other conditions people use it for, including: colic, cramps, toothache, blood clots, fever, nausea, high cholesterol, heart disease, muscle spasms, laryngitis, and many others.

Likely Effective for...

• Arthritis pain when applied to the skin.
• Pain from shingles when applied to the skin.
• Nerve pain (neuropathy) in people with diabetes when applied to the skin.

Possibly Effective for...

• Back pain.
• Reducing painful tender points in people with fibromyalgia when applied to the skin.
• Relieving symptoms of prurigo nodularis, a skin disease.
• Cluster headache, when used nasally.

Possibly Ineffective for...

• Nerve pain related to HIV or AIDS when applied to the skin.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Colic, cramps, toothache, blood clots, fever, nausea, high cholesterol, heart disease, stomach ulcers, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headache, allergic rhinitis, perennial rhinitis, nasal polyps, muscle spasms, laryngitis, swallowing dysfunction, and other conditions.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).