Cayenne pepper has been prized for centuries for its amazing healing power. Folklore from around the world recounts amazing results using cayenne pepper in simple healing and in baffling health problems. Cayenne pepper is not just a healer from ancient history. Recent clinical studies have been conducted on many of the old time health applications for this wonder herb. Again and again, the therapeutic value of cayenne pepper has been medically validated.
Patrick Quillin, PhD, RD, CNS, is a bestselling author, internationally recognized nutrition expert, and lifelong student of the remarkable ways people respond to adversity and change. He has written more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Beating Cancer with Nutrition, and his books have sold more than two million copies worldwide.
After decades of writing about health, resilience, hope, and the human capacity for renewal, Patrick brings those themes to life through fiction in The Reluctant Tourists.
Blending adventure, suspense, humor, history, and heartfelt human connection, the novel follows ordinary people swept into an extraordinary journey they never intended to take. Through unexpected detours, unlikely friendships, dangerous encounters, and second chances, Patrick explores a timeless idea: the road we resist may sometimes become the road that transforms us.
Patrick lives and writes in Southern California, where he continues to explore the connections between meaningful living, personal resilience, and the possibilities hidden within life’s unexpected turns.
There is an herb right under our noses, that for many years has been prized for its healing power. More recently, clinical studies have confirmed its incredible healing abilities. The magic herb is. . . cayenne pepper.
Cayenne pepper, or, more specifically, capsaicin (the ingredient that gives cayenne its spiciness) thins the blood. That can only help blood vessels that are full of cholesterol and sugar. Capsaicin stimulates the conduction of nerve impulses, which will help the common American complaint of fatigue. It is also a mild irritant to mucus membranes, which will increase the flow of mucus from the lungs and sinuses. That will help flush out viruses, bacteria and debris. Capsaicin protects the stomach from alcohol and aspirin, it inhibits cancer, it is full of nutrients, and, believe it or not, it also releases endorphins.
The book also explores how cayenne pepper can help with specific ailments. Angina can be helped because capsaicin triggers the release of calcitonin gene related peptide, which is a potent dilator of the blood vessels that surround the heart. High cholesterol can be reduced because it reduces the absorption of fats and cholesterol in the intestines, and slows the creation of excess cholesterol in the liver. Cayenne encourages sweating and detoxification, which can help remove toxins from the body. It increases the flow of juices in the intestinal tract, which helps move food along and encourages regularity, getting rid of constipation. Capsaicin's ability to warm the body is well known; this can help those suffering from frostbite. It can also reduce pain of various kinds by depleting the body's nerve endings of Substance P (pain). For those new to hot peppers, it can be ingested through capsules, powder or salsa.
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Needless to say, a talk with your doctor, before starting, is not a bad idea. Cayenne can be gotten at any grocery store, and after reading this book, which includes recipes, maybe it should be slowly added to your diet. If a copy of this book can be found, it is short and says a lot.
This book, the title of which hints comprehensive knowledge, summarizes a great deal of history and knowledge in a few paragraphs using generalities and hear-say as evidence of the healing power of certain peppers. Of the 112 pages, there are 7 pages listing product distributors, 28 pages of recipes (many of which are not "raw food" delivery tools for the peppers into the human body), 33 pages of listings summarizing what cayenne pepper supposedly can do for a variety of health conditions, 10 pages of a general condemnation of the American health care system and American eating habits, and a few pages of trivia about cayenne. If you are well-read in the area of alternative medicine or you have extensive personal experience in treating yourself using alternative methods, you can give this book a miss. The book's back cover best describes how empty this book is of any real value in understanding the healing power of cayenne pepper. It reads: "Discover the healing powers of cayenne pepper for yourself." After reading the book, that's exactly the result -- one is left with that mission to "figure it out yourself" because this book was little help in providing any understanding. On the up side: if you are a novice to alternative medicine, this cursory glance at the use of cayenne pepper may provide some useful insight.