Cayenne

Cayenne is basically an herb that is prized for thousand of years for its great healing potency. Cayenne, which is also called as Capsicum, obtains its name from the Greek, “to bite” which is basically an allusion to the hot spicy qualities of its fruits and seeds. From the cayenne plant, a product known as “cayenne pepper” was produced and was first introduced into Britain from India in the year 1548. Today, cayenne pepper is revered for its various beneficial health effects.

Cayenne is actually a shrubby herb of two to six feet high. Since it has a very pungent taste and aroma, the potent and hot fruit of cayenne has been applied in many areas as medicine for many centuries. Historically, cayenne is though useful for a variety of conditions of gastrointestinal tract, involving the onset of stomach aches, cramping pains, and gas. Aside from that, cayenne was also applied to treat disorders of the circulatory system. And in the traditional herbal medicine, cayenne is still used as a circulatory tonic, which is a substance that is believed to enhance the circulation.

Traditionally, cayenne is frequently rubbed on the skin as a cure for rheumatic pains as well as arthritis that is basically caused to what it now termed as “counterirritant effect”. The counterirritant is that something that roots the onset of irritation to a tissue to which it is used, therefore distracting from the main irritation. A clear example for this is the joint pain in the case of arthritis.

But cayenne is not just a healer from the ancient history. Numerous recent clinical trials have been conducted to validate the health benefits of this miracle herb and fortunately, the therapeutic value of cayenne has been validated and the claims are now being supported.

Recent studies have noted that cayenne is helpful for treating dyspepsia symptoms. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine has reported that three Italian doctors explained how they were able to make their dyspepsia patients feel better after prescribing the cayenne pepper powder.

Aside from that, cayenne is also useful for treating digestion discomforts since it is found out that this miracle herb can rebuild the tissue in the stomach including the peristaltic action in the intestines. It therefore assists the eradication and assimilation and it aids the human body in producing hydrochloric acid, which is said to be important in for the proper digestion as well as assimilation, most especially of proteins.

Cayenne is also beneficial for those who have heart disease such as heart attacks. In fact, some reports have noted that this herb has been known to stop heart attacks within 30 seconds. That is how great the effects of cayenne, that it even encouraged thousands of heart attack patients to take the extract for a much better condition. It has also a pain-relieving effect that it is used as a treatment for post-herpetic neuropathy or the pain that stays after an attack of shingles. Along with that, it is also applied for peripheral neuropathy and nerve pain after cancer surgery and arthritis.

With its multiple health benefits, cayenne is now offered in health outlets in the form of either pill or powder. It is often added to tonics to ward off disorders and for persons who are addicted to it seems to be valuable possibly by decreasing the dilated blood vessels, therefore providing a relief for chronic digestion.

Cat’s Claw

A Miracle Herb from the Rain Forest of Peru

Cat’s claw is a new botanical nutrient that is being called by many people as the “Miracle Herb from the Rain Forest of Peru”. The discovery of this herb has been continually pulling increasingly more interest among the proponents of the natural health care. Even though this herb is virtually not known in the United States until now, the valuable effects of this Peruvian herb which is also commonly known as “una de gato” in Spanish and “cat’s claw” in English, have greatly encouraged some clinical studies since 1970s at research facilities in Austria, Peru, Germany, England, Hungary, and Italy.

Cat’s claw is basically a high-climbing woody vine that thrives abundantly in the upper Amazon corners of Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, and other South American nations. At the base of it, there dwelt a two curved thorns that bear a resemblance to that of the claws of a cat, hence the name “cat’s claw” is given to it. Functionally, these thorns allow the vine to climb up trees and other plant life into the forest canopy. The cat’s claw’s botanical name “Uncaria” is then derived from the Latin uncus, which stands for “hook”.

Since the studies conducted in different parts of the world about the potential of cat’s claw for medicine, have suggested that the herb itself may be valuable in the treatment of arthritis, bursitis, allergies, diabetes, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome herpes, organic depression, cancer, stomach disorders and intestines, as well as menstrual irregularities, many experts have largely noted that there is basically two species of cat’s claw that are harvested for medicinal purposes.

Speaking of such species of cat’s claw, there noted is the Uncaria quianensis, which is applied mainly in Europe, and the Uncaria tomentosa, which is typically imported into the United States. These two species of cat’s claw is in fact considered as identical among the many herbal practitioners in South America.

For so many years, the people in the Amazon regions of places to which the cat’s claw is indigenous have applied cat’s claw to treat a wide range of health complaints. Such ailments include arthritis, cancer, and stomach and liver disorders. Cat’s claw is also valuable as a treatment for skin conditions and even contraception.

Traditionally, cat’s claw is used as a decoction or a crude extract that is largely prepared by the process of boiling the inner bark of the stem and some parts of the cat’s claw’s roots. And with the advent of science, cat’s claw is found out to be valuable for its immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. With those findings, there are certain evidences which show that cat’s claw may have antiviral and cancer-fighting potential as well.

Generally, cat’s claw is identified by some clinical studies as having properties like adaptogenic, anti-micobial, and antioxidant, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor. For those main properties of cat’s claw, many studies have speculated that the herb has even the potential for treating serious illnesses like the HIV, and for that reason, the cat’s claw becomes the top-selling herb in the United States. However, there is really no strong back up for such claim since very few well-designed clinical trials have been done with human subjects on cat’s claw.