BOY IS THAT HOT!!!!

Taramarie75

Okay guys, I love cooking and making huge batch recipes. I love the MFP recipes calculater, and thankful for tat tool. My favorite thing to make is soup...All different kinds of soup. Fresh Vegetables, lean meats/fish, and sometimes with legumes. Every week I make a different batch. Ckicken & Kale, Vegetable Garden Stew, Chicken Stew, Beefy Yummy vegetable soup and Seafood stew ( though not very often) I usually eat off one recipie for the week and really enjoy myself. Here is the thing...I am on a very LOW sodium diet, so when I make my desired soup for the week it contains no salt!! NONE...other than what the vegetables, meat, beans, fish provide. It can sometmes get a little on the bland side I admit, but the health benefits far surpass my need for salt. Did I mention, I never have water weight gain problems either?? That in itself is pretty awesome.

Sooooooo, my alternative to making things flavorful is adding the HEAT!! I love spicy things, LOVE IT!! That itself can be hard cause a lot of hot sauces contain very high sodium. Now when I say I am a chili pepper head, that is saying it mildly ( and the band isnt so bad either). I have many experiences cooking with the Naga Bhut Jolokia ( ghost pepper) which is the 2nd hottest pepper in the world. Now, keep in mind that this is no joke!! This pepper for those who are aware will set you on fire. Guts and all!......ehhhh good.... but for me, it has kinda lost its potency and was in search of other ways to spice my food up. So I was introduced to the world of Capsicum extract. "Demon" Ichor to be exact with a 2,000,000 Scoville unit.Your basic little Jalapeño has a scoville unit of about 4,000. Thats sweet candy when compared. Now I would put about 2 drops of this stuff in my big bowl of soup again, suited my needs, gave me that crazy heat I needed...but it wore off in about 15 mins. See, Im into the long term burn and again, was in need of something stronger. I recently have just purchased " The Source" a Capsicum extract of 7,100,000 on the scoville unit. Now, let me tell you my experience....I was warned not to put a drop in my soup....noooo, that would be way to much, but instead to put some on a toothpick then mix it into my soup. See, a couple drops are supposed to be put in a big batch of gameday chili and that would be enough for the whole pot. A huge pot!! That would make it extreamly hot still and eaters should beware even then....well, I decided to do a drop...in a bowl of soup.

I was hit with waves and waves of heat, and fire. Like someone ( me) swallowed charcoal lit. I cannot even begin to explain the pain. Broke out into a sweat, had some troubles breathing for a moment, and flashing lights pulsating to my heatbeats. Talk about a TRIP!!!!! The burn lasted for almost 3 hours....NOW, I have finally found a extract that will keep me on my toes....

Now I tell you all this, to tell you this.

Capsicum is a wonderful additive that one who loves spice to put in their diet daily.

1. Fight Cancer

A study published in Cancer Research found that capsaicin caused cancer cells to commit suicide. The substance caused almost 80 percent of prostate cancer cells to die in mice, and prostate tumors treated with capsaicin were about one-fifth the size of those in untreated mice.

"Capsaicin inhibits the growth of human prostate cancer cells in petri dishes and mice," says lead researcher Dr. H. Phillip Koeffler, director of hematology and oncology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Further, researchers say capsaicin pills may one day be used to prevent the return of prostate cancer.

The Scoville Scale:
How Hot is Your Pepper?



Hot peppers' heat is measured using the Scoville Heat Scale. While pure capsaicin measures in at over 16 million Scoville Units, most popular varieties rank around 30,000.

Bell peppers make up the baseline, at zero Scoville Units. While the habañero pepper was once thought to be the hottest pepper, measuring in at 300,000 units, an Indian chili pepper called Naga Jolokia was tested in 2000 and received a searing score of 855,000 units!



2. Provide Pain Relief

A topical form of capsaicin is a recognized treatment for osteoarthritis pain, and may also help alleviate pain from diabetic neuropathy.

Capsaicin is also known to inhibit Substance P, a neuropeptide that is the key transmitter of pain to the brain. Substance P can cause swelling of nerve fibers, which may result in headaches and sinus symptoms. Studies have found that capsaicin both relieves and prevents cluster headaches, migraine headaches and sinus headaches.

3. Prevent Sinusitis and Relieve Congestion

Capsaicin has potent antibacterial properties that fight and prevent chronic sinus infections, or sinusitis. Because it is so hot, it also helps to stimulate secretions that help clear mucus from your nose, thereby relieving nasal congestion. This phytochemical may also help relieve sinus-related allergy symptoms.

4. Fight Inflammation

Capsaicin is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. It works by inhibiting Substance P, which is associated with inflammatory processes. Capsaicin is being looked at as a potential treatment for arthritis, psoriasis and diabetic neuropathy.

5. Soothe Intestinal Diseases

A Duke University study found that capsaicin may lead to a cure for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The substance can also help to kill bacteria such as H. pylori, which can help prevent stomach ulcers.

6. Burn Fat and Lose Weight

Capsaicin is a thermogenic agent, which means it increases metabolic activity. This, in turn, helps to burn calories and fat. Many popular "fat-burning" supplements on the market contain capsaicin, as the substance may significantly increase metabolic activity for over 20 minutes after it's eaten.

7. Protect Your Heart

Capsaicin may help to protect the heart by reducing cholesterol, triglycerides and platelet aggregation. It may also help the body dissolve fibrin, which is necessary for blood clots to form. Further, cultures around the world that use hot peppers liberally in their meals have significantly lower rates of heart attack and stroke than cultures that do not.