Categories
Herbs & Plants

Capsicum baccatum

[amazon_link asins=’B00VK0Y1RM,B01GATDR2M,B00V65W2RC,B01AAM850O,B00OZWU9PA,B01N9QS29V,B074YK9SBW,B074GYFBT7,B01N48V7FY’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’484e2618-991a-11e7-b0c4-19ac8375cbb8′]

Botanical Name : Capsicum baccatum
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Capsicum
Species: C. baccatum
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Solanales

Common Name:Locoto

Capsicum baccatum is a species of chili pepper that includes the following cultivar and varieties:

*Aji amarillo, or amarillo chili
*Peppadew
*Lemon drop
*Bishop’s Crown
*Brazilian Starfish
*Wild Baccatum
……
You may click to see  pictures of different paper
Habitat :  The Capsicum baccatum species, particularly the Ají amarillo chili (Aji is the caribean word for chili and/or peppers that the Spaniards colonizers extended to most of Central and South America), is typically associated with Peruvian cuisine, and is considered part of its condiment trinity together with red onion and garlic. Aji amarillo literally means yellow chili; however, the yellow color appears when cooked, as the mature pods are bright orange.

Today the Ají amarillo is mainly seen in South American markets and in Latin American food stores around the world where Peruvian and Bolivian expatriates are numerous. The wild baccatum species (C. baccatum var. baccatum) is most common in Bolivia with outlier populations in Peru (rare) and Paraguay, northern Argentina, and southern Brazil.

Description:
Pepper varieties in the Capsicum baccatum species have white or cream colored flowers, and typically have a green or gold corolla. The flowers are either insect or self-fertilized. The fruit pods of the baccatum species have been cultivated into a wide variety of shapes and sizes, unlike other capsicum species which tend to have a characteristic shape. The pods typically hang down, unlike a Capsicum frutescens plant, and can have a citrus or fruity flavor.

Edible Uses:
Aji amarillo is one of the ingredients of Peruvian cuisine and Bolivian cuisine as a condiment, especially in many dishes and sauces. In Peru the chilis are mostly used fresh, and in Bolivia dried and ground. Common dishes with aji amarillo are the Peruvian stew Aji de Gallina (“Chili of Hen”), Huancaina sauce and the Bolivian Fricase Paceno, among others.

The Moche culture often represented fruits and vegetables in their art, including Ají amarillo peppers.

Medicinal Uses;
The hot and pungent fruit is antihemorrhoidal when taken in small amounts, antirheumatic, antiseptic, diaphoretic, digestive, irritant, rubefacient, sialagogue and tonic. It is taken internally in the treatment of the cold stage of fevers, debility in convalescence or old age, varicose veins, asthma and digestive problems. Externally it is used in the treatment of sprains, unbroken chilblains, neuralgia, pleurisy etc

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_LMN.htm
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-48270835/stock-photo-starfish-on-brown-paper-background.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum_baccatum

Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
News on Health & Science

Chili Pepper Ingredient Helps With Weight Loss

[amazon_link asins=’B001PQMJCA,B00UABS3EE,B005G8IDTQ,B004XNR4DG’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’45be8cde-5359-11e7-bdee-5527bc0d41f7′]

Capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick, may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body, according to a new study on the topic.
click & see
Jong Won Yun and colleagues point out that obesity is a major public health threat worldwide, linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other health problems. Laboratory studies have hinted that capsaicin may help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue, and lowering fat levels in the blood. Nobody, however, knows exactly how capsaicin might trigger such beneficial effects.

In an effort to find out, the scientists fed high-fat diets with or without capsaicin to lab rats used to study obesity. The capsaicin-treated rats lost 8 percent of their body weight and showed changes in levels of at least 20 key proteins found in fat. The altered proteins work to break down fats. “These changes provide valuable new molecular insights into the mechanism of the anti obesity effects of capsaicin,” the scientists say.

Source: Elements4Health. July 21.2010

Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
News on Health & Science

‘Hot’ Substance in Chilli Peppers Key to Reduce Pain

[amazon_link asins=’B004B83V3A,B000VM2LQ8,B00VFGMYUW,B017MFS2BE,B005G8IDTQ,B06Y1QQH3D,B00AT7XRLS,B004JPW9TC,B0126JTTHW’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’59a29a95-9919-11e7-81af-3bd2b17f377c’]

Studying chilli peppers is helping scientists create a new type of painkiller which could stop pain at its source.
…………..click & see

Capsaicin causes the burning sensation in chilli peppers

A team at the University of Texas says a substance similar to capsaicin, which makes chilli peppers hot, is found in the human body at sites of pain.

And blocking the production of this substance can stop chronic pain, the team found.

They report their findings in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Capsaicin is the primary ingredient in hot chilli peppers which causes a burning sensation.

It does this by binding to receptors present on the cells inside the body.

Similarly, when the body is injured, it releases capsaicin-like substances – fatty acids called oxidized linoleic acid metabolites or OLAMs – and these, via receptors, cause pain, the researchers have found.

Blocking pain
Dr Kenneth Hargreaves, senior researcher at the Dental School at the University of Texas, and his team next set out to see if they could block these newly discovered pain pathways.

Lab work on mice showed that by knocking out a gene for the receptors, there was no sensitivity to capsaicin.

Armed with this knowledge they set about making drugs to do the same.

Dr Hargreaves said: “This is a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms of pain and how to more effectively treat it.

“We have discovered a family of endogenous capsaicin-like molecules that are naturally released during injury, and now we understand how to block these mechanisms with a new class of non-addictive therapies.”

Ultimately, he hopes the drugs will be able to treat different types of chronic pain, including that associated with cancer and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Source:BBC NEWS:April 27. 2010

You may also click to see:->
‘Immune jab’ blocks chronic pain
Cup of mint tea ‘can kill pain’
Pain ‘linked with low vitamin D’
Back to nature for pain relief

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Featured

Compound In Chili Peppers Protects Heart

[amazon_link asins=’B073FRT39D,B072WKK3V7,B00JO1GO2Y,B0787DXX2N,B00ILMENZC,B005EP1ZGO,B00AJHD9SO,B010U7KJO4,B078ZHJFSD’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7dd42704-0971-11e8-a1b3-afe32a770c79′]

The main component found in chili peppers has been shown to prevent and reduce heart damage during a heart attack, according to a new study.

The study published in the journal Circulation, finds that applying capsaicin, which is the main component in chili peppers and the active ingredient in some common pain creams, to specific skin areas on mice caused sensory nerves in the skin to trigger signals in the nervous system.

These signals activate cellular “pro-survival” pathways in the heart which protect the muscle, the article further explains.

“If proven effective in humans, this therapy has the potential to reduce injury or death in the event of a coronary blockage, thereby reducing the extent and consequences of heart attack,” says Keith Jones, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati where the study was performed.

Capsaicin, which is used topically to treat pain, produces a hot feeling on the skin. It is approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The research further supports the value of chili peppers as a natural health resource.

Chili peppers, which are high in vitamin C, have already been shown to help fight migraine headaches, relieve sinus congestion and aid digestion.

Source: Better Health Research. Dec. 17th.2009

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Bhut Jolokia/ Naga Chilli/ King Chilli

[amazon_link asins=’B00VK1HL2I,B001PQTYN2,B01J5BESGQ,B00V2DDYXY,B004B83V3A,B01K7E9QMG,B00JMSP7LS,B01K7CP2C6,B01K7ILZOO’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e4d838d6-0599-11e7-9a34-b7a1c846ab72′]

[amazon_link asins=’B01HD6TGLM,B00DRFGO2S,B007ACM8RE,B00LB7AKRY,B01LW91K8J,B00VK1HL2I,B00RHL7T0E,B01KHP0N1S’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b8118397-0599-11e7-adaa-991dd9594a49′]

[amazon_link asins=’B00GTTS8GY’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ebd4edd8-f38c-11e6-aa53-79b2989fc007′]

 

 

Botanical Name:Capsicum Chinense Jacq
Family: Solanaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Solanales
Genus: Capsicum
Species: C. chinense / C. frutescens
Subspecies: C. c. cultivar Naga Jolokia

Common Name:Naga Jolokia (English: King Cobra Chili) — also known as Bhut Jolokia, Ghost Chili, Ghost Pepper, California Death Pepper, Naga Morich.

Nomenclature
The Assamese word ‘‘jolokia’’ means the Capsicum pepper. The word N?ga means “King Cobra” in Sanskrit. The pepper is thought to originate from Nagaland in north-eastern India, and was originally named by the Naga people after the most venomous snake found in the region. The pepper’s fierce “bite” is akin to the venom of a king cobra. It’s also known as Naga Morich in Bangladesh and Bih Jolokia in the Indian state of Assam (Bih = ‘poison’, Jolokia = ‘chili pepper‘; in Assamese). Other names are Bhut Jolokia (Bhut = ‘ghost’, probably due to its ghostly bite or introduction by the Bhutias from Bhutan poison chili), Oo-Morok in Manipur (Oo = ‘Tree’, ‘Oo’ pronounced as in Book, Morok = ‘Chilli’), Borbih Jolokia, Nagahari, Nagajolokia, Naga Moresh and Raja Mirchi (‘King of Chillies’). Regardless of the nomenclature, they all refer to the same plant.

Ripe peppers measure 60 mm (2.4 in) to 85 mm (3.3 in) long and 25 mm (1.0 in) to 30 mm (1.2 in) wide with an orange or red color. They are similar in appearance to the Habanero pepper, but have a rougher, dented skin – a main characteristic of the Naga.

Habitat:Assam region of northeastern India. It also grows in the Indian states of Nagaland and Manipur.


Description:

Plant height  :  45-120 cm
Stem color :   Green
Leaf color  :  Green
Leaf length   :  10.65-14.25 cm
Leaf width  :5.4-7.5 cm
Pedicels/axil :   2
Corolla color :    Yellow green
Another color   :  Pale blue
Annular constriction   : Present below calyx
Fruit color at maturity    : Red

click to see the pictures..>……...(01)..…..(1).....(2)..(3)…….(4)…..
Fruit shape   :  Sub-conical to conical
Fruit length   :  5.95-8.54 cm
Fruit width at shoulder:     2.5-2.95 cm
Fruit weight : 6.95-8.97 g
Fruit surface   :  Rough, uneven
Seed color :    Light brown
1000 seed weight  :   0.41-0.46 g
Seeds/fruit  :   19.22-34.15
Hypocotyl color  :  Green
Cotyledonous leaf shape :   Deltoid

Scoville rating

In 2000, scientists at India’s Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale, and in 2004 an Indian company obtained a rating of 1,041,427 units through HPLC analysis. This makes it almost twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper, Guinness World Record holder at that time. For comparison, pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 15,000,000–16,000,000 Scoville units.

In 2005 at New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute near Las Cruces, New Mexico, Regents Professor Paul Bosland found Naga Jolokia grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU by HPLC.

In February 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia (Prof. Bosland’s preferred name for the pepper) as the world’s hottest chili pepper.

The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of Naga Jolokia peppers is dramatic. A 2005 Indian study that compared the percentage availability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in Naga Jolokia peppers grown in both Tezpur (Assam) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) showed that the heat of the pepper is decreased by over 50% in Gwalior’s more arid climate (similar temperatures but less humid, much lower rainfall)
Click to learn more about HOTNESS OF BHUT JOLOKIA…(1)..(2) :..(3)

Uses
The pepper is used as a spice in food or eaten alone. One seed from a Naga Jolokia can produce sustained intense pain sensations in the mouth for up to 30 minutes before subsiding. Extreme care should be taken when ingesting the pepper and its seeds, so as to not get it in the eyes. It is used as a cure for stomach ailments.  In northeastern India the peppers are smeared on fences or used in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.

In 2009, Indian defense scientists claimed to have found a new place to use the chilies — in hand grenades. The scientists aim to use the Chillies to control rioters to immobilize people without killing them.

Medicinal Uses:
Used in medicine, as pickles, sauces, adding hotness to non vegetarian foods stuff etc. Due to its extraordinary pungency level, it is especially sutable for preparation of “Oleoresin Capsaicin” as well as extraction of Capsaicin. . It is used as a cure for stomach ailments. It is also used as a remedy to summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration.

World record attempt
On 9 April 2009 Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26 year old Indian woman, ate 51 Naga Jolokia peppers in two minutes. The attempt took place in Jorhat, India and is expected to be accepted into the Guinness World Records. Celebrity chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay was present.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_Jolokia_pepper
http://www.greencover.org/Spices/King%20Chilli.html

css.php