Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Chilli pepper is the fruit of Capsicum frutescens, a small shrub in the nightshade family. In Ghana it is known in Twi as mako. It is both a daily food and a home remedy across West Africa.
The heat comes from a compound called capsaicin. Dried, ground fruit is sold as cayenne. Creams and patches made from capsaicin are used on the skin.
The evidence is split. Capsaicin creams ease some nerve and joint pain in people. Doses you swallow have much weaker support.
Long use in a tradition is not proof that something works. It is not proof that it is safe either.
Capsaicin acts on a heat and pain sensor on nerve endings, called TRPV1. This is why chilli feels hot without being hot.
With repeated use on skin, capsaicin makes these nerve endings less active. In human studies, pain fibres in the treated patch of skin become harder to trigger. The effect builds over days to weeks and fades after you stop.
In lab and animal work, capsaicin also acts on fat cells, appetite signals and gut bacteria. Whether any of that matters in people is not settled.
Eaten chilli briefly raises heart rate, sweating and calorie burn. The size of that effect is small.
Fresh and dried chilli are foods first. Ground cayenne powder is the common kitchen form.
Capsules and tablets of cayenne powder are sold as supplements. Their strength is often printed in heat units.
Creams, gels and lotions carry low-strength capsaicin, usually 0.025 to 0.075 percent. In many countries you can buy these over the counter.
A high-strength 8 percent capsaicin patch also exists. A doctor or nurse must apply it in a clinic.
Pepper sprays use the same compound at much higher strength. They are weapons, not remedies.
Chilli reached West Africa from the Americas in the 1500s through Portuguese trade. It spread quickly and became a staple of local cooking.
In Ghana, Twi speakers call it mako. It went into soups, stews and pepper sauces, and was also kept as a household remedy.
Healers rubbed pastes on aching joints and cold, numb limbs. Hot peppery broths were given for colds and blocked noses. Chilli was also valued for making plain food easier to eat during illness.
Stop and see a doctor if burning on the skin turns into blisters or an open sore.
Get medical help the same day for severe stomach pain, black stools or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
Rinse the eye with plenty of water if chilli gets in it. See a doctor if pain or blurred vision lasts more than an hour.
Call emergency services for swelling of the lips or tongue, a rash with faintness, or trouble breathing.
In the UK, the US and across West Africa, chilli is an ordinary food and spice. Cayenne capsules are sold as food supplements or dietary supplements, not licensed medicines. The high-strength 8 percent capsaicin patch is a prescription medicine applied by a clinician.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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