[SIDE EFFECTS]  04/10/2013: Mario from Dallas Tx, Texas U.s: "I have been using cayenne pepper for a few months but I have to stop because it causes throat irritation. I like to continue using it, BUT I do not know how to minimize the condition. Any suggestion, will be appreciated."

04/11/2013: Mmsg from Somewhere, Europe replies: "Mario: 1. Maybe you don't need it anymore. 2. Maybe you need smaller doses now. 3. If none of the above, you can put it in capsules."

04/11/2013: Liz from Boston, Massachusetts replies: "Pick up some empty gelatin capsules (very easy to find both online or at your local Vitamin Shoppe), fill them with the cayenne powder, then take the capsule(s) with water after a meal.

There are companies that sell cayenne capsules but I have always preferred making my own so that I know what's in them."

10/03/2011: Try2help from Louisville, Kentucky replies: "It could be that you are exercising to late and your body is still reved up... However you can go the alternative way and take a sleep supplement like melatonin or you could go to bed an hour early to relax your mind so you can dose off naturaly I would take a hot bath with Lavendar before I went to bed... Or another simple thing you could drink tart cherry juice it has natural melatonin in it I would add a little water and 1/4 tsp of vanilla... I hope this helps...!!!"

01/02/2012: Chris from Roswell, Ga replies: "Cayenne is a stimulant. You must be taking it too late in the day."

03/21/2012: Mark from Surrey, Canada replies: "Want to sleep like a baby? Go to this site and read about sleeping habits and help you sleep better. There is a lot of additional info here for just about everything health related. You will be amazed!!! Http://www.normalbreathing.com/"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  11/11/2010: Curt from Leesburg, Va replies: "The other night almost the same thing happen to me. I ate my dinner and then took my cayenne pills (2 of them). Minutes later I started to feel this pain in my stomach. It got worse and worse.... I thought maybe I had to throw up but I really don't like to so I tried not to. I walked into the living room and almost passed out. I laid down on the couch and went into a heavy sweat. Slowly the pain went away and I came back to reality.

Since then I have taken my cayenne pills before I eat. This has not happen again BUT... I can't help but want it to happen again. Even though the pain was really bad at first..... I felt great after the episode was over."

11/12/2010: Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France replies: "I red the terrifying experiences people have had with cayenne pepper pills. What I do is add cayenne pepper to my food or else to my molasses, ACV drink. I can only imagine that this happened because of the impact of quite a big quantity of pepper in your stomach because when you take it you don't manage to take too much as it just burns your mouth. But it is true... Trying to be healthy is quite a tricky thing mainly because you mostly have to do it on your own. I often wonder whether what I am doing is making me better or worse..."

11/12/2010: Lisa from Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa replies: "Hi Francisca,
I know the whole health thing can be a tricky thing! And sometimes you can't be sure if it's hype or someone trying to sell something about benefits, etc. I don't know if you've ever heard of Kevin and Annemarie Gianni but they have an internet show that is daily and is only 10 minutes long. They are like sleuths in the health world and work to discern fact, fiction, myth, etc. Their show is called http://renegadehealth.com and they do lots of interviews w/ very interesting people from all over the world and especially w/ those at the forefront of the alternative health world. Knowing your interests from all your posts, I am certain you will love it and find a lot of useful information on it.

Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think! I know I've learned a lot from all the various people that they've interviewed and whether certain foods, products, etc. really are healthy or not. You can also send in your own questions and they investigate and answer them as well. Best to you, Lisa"

11/13/2010: Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France replies: "Thanks Lisa, I will really listen to the show because I always have a lot of questions. Maybe they can provide me with a few answers...... This might really be a useful tip, thanks! "

11/13/2010: Ellen from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada replies: "The reason you had this over reaction to the cayenne pepper pills is because you should never take anything that tastes hot in a pill form. The body needs to sense that some thing as hot as cayenne pepper is on its way down to the stomache and the stomache is then prepared with the appropriate digestive acids to accept the cayenne pepper to handle it and digest it without any reaction. You may have been told by the people who sold you the pills that it's okay to take cayenne pepper in this form, but I will assure you it is not. Please listen to my advice or better yet do your own research on this and you will see I am telling you the truth. Good luck,
Ellen

P. S. It is very easy to get cayenne into your diet and it is so cheap too. I put my cayenne in a glass of lemon juice which was freshly squeezed (and it needs to be an actual lemon, the fake plastic lemon juice dose nothing to help your health) and put a little cayenne pepper in and sweeten it with liquid stevia. It tastes refreshing and it is health promoting."

01/09/2011: John from Johannesberg, Gauteng South Africa replies: "My message is that in almost all cases of heart problems, the cause is a natural lack of Vit C which the med. Prof. Took 150 years to discover. Their Scurvy was just that. Dr Mathius Rath put us wise to that and how to cure AIDs.

This thread is to warn that ill effects from "Cayenne" would more than likely be caused by the gangster community packaging a chemical substitute known as "Sudam" or similar term. The more knowlegable readers would be able to give the correct name of this immitation. It tastes and looks like cayenne, beware."

01/09/2011: Maria from Gippsland, Australia replies: "John, Thanks for the alert I had not heard of this contamination so did some googling and now there are two chemical poisons - the Sudan Red you mentioned and also Para Red. They are illegal dyes that should not be in food. The list of food and spices that are contaminated is still growing and they are sill looking for more. To think I recently looked at some paprika that was very pale and decided not to buy it."

05/22/2011: Dr. I'mnot ? from Beaumont, Tx: "I have been taking cayenne for 15 years and recommend it for anyone wanting: to lose weight, help with blood pressure issues, circulatory benefits, to lower cholesterol and even help with some headaches, help with stomach problems [(not for stomach ulcers) aloevera juice for stomach ulcers]. If you consume alcohol in excess your intestinal tract will lose some of its protection and will be easily upset by cayenne.

Cayenne can be absorbed into the system with warm or cool water, I would not recommend mixing with orange or lemon juice at first, reason being an incresae in acid can cause an upset stomach which would be blamed on the cayenne. If you use warm water with cayenne it can produce an uncomfortable burning upon exiting the body, with cool water it will be almost unnoticeable. I will take one tbsp (one tsp for beginners ) of cayenne pepper powder (bought at the store) mix with half a cup of water drink that and then drink a glass of water to wash it down. I can take it on an empty stomach with small side effects, but I don't recommend this for the beginner Good luck and to good health, Have a Great Day"

[YEA]  11/15/2011: Gary from Wauchope, Nsw Australia replies: "If you have a look around on the net at all the different foods you will find the lemon isn't acid but is the highest alkaline food of all the groups and if you have a look at www.cayennepepper.info you will see that cayenne and warm lemon juice and water is really good for getting the natural fat furnace going. I have gone from 111cm around the girth on 14/10/2011 to 107cm around the girth on 14/11/2011 plus I have been doing 2.5 Klm on the cross trainer per day."

11/15/2011: Abby from Naples, Fl replies: "Could you please tell us how much lemon, cayenne and water you used per serving. Also, how many times per day did you drink this - once? Three times?

Many thanks."

05/16/2012: Kim from Houston, Tx replies: "Cristy, you crack me up with your 3 oz of beer! From one Texas chick to another - YOU GO GIRL!!!"

10/31/2012: Teelight from Toronto replies: "Cristy I got the same exact reaction also after swallowing the cayenne capsules. 15min after taking, I started sweating buckets (yay! That part's ok) and debilitating stomach pain (not ok -- at all). But the episode passed after about 10 min. I came on here looking for answers and it makes sense that digestion begins in the mouth and our stomachs need a warning signal for spicy substances. No more hiding the cayenne in capsules, I shall open them up and dissolve in water. This makes much more sense, and seems to be the solution, thanks a bunch."

04/18/2010: C from Maize, Ks replies: "They usually take it with warm water because its easier to get accustomed with the heat that cayenne pepper produces if taken with warm water. It dulls the heat alittle and makes it easier to take orally. Usually you won't have any issues with taking it if it is in pill form as it would be taken in powder form or liquid form"

[YEA]  08/27/2010: Frank from Charlotte, Nc replies: "Dr. Christopher says that you should use warm water because the warm water opens your system up and allows the cayenne to get into your system faster than using cold water. I took cayenne capsules several years ago and quit. Because of type 2 diabetes, my feet had become numb and I have pain and burning to the point that I had to stop my 30 minute daily walks. I started taking cayenne (1 teaspoon in 8oz warm water three times a day) about two weeks ago for my heart and high blood pressure. To my surpise after 3 days of the cayenne, I suddenly noticed that my feet didn't hurt like they had before. After almost two weeks, I am just about completely free of pain and numbness. I am actually wearing shoes today that I could not walk in a month ago. I read today that cayenne will kill prostate cancer cells. Is there anything this herb won't do? I plan to make my cayenne regimen a part of my daily life from now on."

02/06/2011: Amelia from Limerick, Ireland replies: "I take Cayene pepper in a small amount of cold water then drink warm water. I then take a spoonful of Honey. The burning is gone in half a minuit."

02/06/2012: Frank from Perth, West Australia replies: "reading the comments from Frank Charlotte, Nc ref: [yea ]08/27/2010 he says he received huge relief from burning and numb feet [perifial neuropathy] I, too, suffer with this I would like to know if his condition has remained in remission, as his post was 17 months ago. I would like to know how he is going, and if he has any further improvement in his health. I will start with the cayenne asap. Many thanks for your help... Regards Frank"

07/02/2012: Stormymarie from Columbus, Oh replies: "Hey muddythe water, Vancouver, Canada. I like your suggestion of shaking the cayenne pepper with honey, lemon juice and water. I will be trying this tomorrow. Will let you know how it goes."

10/26/2008: J0y0us from KANSAS CITY, ks replies: "I want to know if the cayenne and vinegar pills helped in dieting from the blogger of 03/2008 "

[YEA]  03/25/2009: Anna from Philadelphia, PA, us replies: "Twice a day I drink oj with pulp with 1 tbsp of acv and 1 tsp of powdered ginger (makes me feel and look great!)- I use straw so my mouth is not burnt at all - I feel it only at the back of it. Yesterday I got cayenne pepper (to increase my circulation) and came here to find hows and how much. Thanks to your post I decided just to add it to my drink! Half teaspoon, in the begining anyway."

[YEA]  05/15/2009: Anna from Philadelphia, PA replies: "it works great that way! I feel so warm and full of energy! (But it may be SPRING not a drink...)"

06/27/2011: Owen from Wolverhampton, Uk replies: "Can you tell me if it is OK to take cayenne pepper if you suffer from GERD?"

[QUESTION]  01/04/2010: Mkb from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: "Hi.we in Malayia take lots of chilly and there is so many varieties of it.The hottest chilly is the small green chilly we name it"Chilly Padi",this chilly really knock you off. My question is does all this chilly come into the Cayenne pepper group and can Tabasco be categorize as cayenne pepper,Gnc in Malaysia does not sells capsule Cayenne pepper,so i normally purchase organic Chilly powder for my cayenne dosage.Ted please enlighten me on this issue"

01/05/2010: Blanche from New Iberia, Louisiana replies: "I'm not Ted, I hope it's OK to post an answer.Where I live we grow a lot of hot peppers, even in our home gardens. The tabasco pepper is a very small pepper, used commercially to make Tabasco sauce. The cayenne that we grow is larger (up to about 6 inches long. The cayenne is used mainly to make ground red pepper for seasoning. It is the one used in Cajun seasoning, and is used to season just about all our food before cooking.

Wikipedia states that the cayenne is related to the jalapenos, the bell peppers, and other peppers.

It is possible that any of the hot peppers that is grown wherever one lives will work as well as cayenne pepper. I would certainly try whatever I had on hand if I were you. (And let us know.)"