Chili Pepper Research Paper

Chili pepper: Gastronomical and medicinal uses

The chili pepper plant is native to Latin American countries where it was used as one the main spice ingredients in cuisine for centuries. It was later on introduced to the rest of the world by Spanish and Portuguese conquistadores as a result of the Columbian Exchange in 16th and 17th centuries, and nowadays cultivated widely in many parts of the world as an important commercial plant. “Few other foods have been taken up by so many people in so many places so quickly.”1

Chili pepper belongs to the genus of plants bearing the Latin name Capsicum. Although there are many chili cultivars grown worldwide nowadays, only four or five (depending on the botanist) major species of cultivated Capsicum

These three ingredients give it the three colors of the Mexican flag; and “Mole poblano”: the best known of all mole (a chili-based sauce) varieties. It has been ranked as the first "typical" Mexican dish. It has also been named the "national dish" of

The capsaicinoids activate the pain receptors in our mouth and on our tongue, sending to the brain a strong sensation of hotness. This is a defensive strategy to prevent animals to eat the pods.

Capsaicin is a remarkable health-promoting compound, but since burning and irritation are usual side effects, it may be wise to start using it slowly and building up a tolerance for bigger amounts.

A daily amount of hot peppers makes people breath easier, feel less discomfort and lower their body fat.

Scientists at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, found out in 2006 that capsaicin causes prostate cancer cells to kill themselves: “A team of US cancer scientists found in tests on mice that capsaicin could provoke apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in the cells behind human prostate cancer, the most common cancer among men in the United States.”2

Besides Capsaicin has a positive effect on blood cholesterol, and also helps as an