Health Benefits of Hot Peppers Should be Better Known

Sudbury, MA (PRWEB) September 15, 2011

David Ashley, founder and president of Ashley Food Company, thinks its important for people to know about the health benefits of hot peppers. Because hot sauces are so intense, I think a lot of people assume theyre not good for your body, but, in fact, the reverse is true, he says. The peppers that make our sauces so hot have a myriad of health benefits.

One red chile pepper a day provides all the vitamin A you need and one green chile pepper has more vitamin C than six oranges, says New Mexico State University Regents Professor of Horticulture Paul Bosland.

One of the most surprising may be that hot peppers are good for ulcers! Dr. David Williams, a chiropractic doctor and researcher, sites several studies on the subject in his article on the benefits of peppers. Contrary to what many say, eating chile peppers doesnt cause ulcers[but] have been shown to trigger mechanisms that actually protect the lining of the stomach.

A University of Maryland Medical Center report on the effects of cayenne peppers lists the following medicinal uses for cayenne: 1) relief of pain caused by: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; shingles and other skin conditions; surgery; nerve damage in feet or legs due to diabetes; 2) reduction of itching and inflammation associated with psoriasis; 3) relief from cluster headaches.

None of this would be news to ancient societies in various parts of the world, who have used peppers for a variety of reasonsfor 9,000 years in the Americas, for example! The Mesoamerican cultures used them to treat severe headaches, relieve cold and flu symptoms, and reduce tooth pain. Chinese medicine has employed them for a variety of treatments. Now their benefits are being rediscovered by contemporary doctors.

An UCLA Medical School study suggests that the capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers, might kill prostate cancer cells. Another study showed that capsaicin leads blood vessels to relax, potentially helping to lower blood pressure. Yet another study indicated that cayenne pepper could effectively prevent the formation of some funguses.

So, when we load up our sauces with peppers because hot sauce aficionados love the heat, its a relief to know its also good for them, says Ashley. He particularly recommends [Boomslang, which has copious amounts of Ghost Peppers and Peri Peri Pepper, two of the hottest in the world.

The Ashley Food Company of Sudbury, Massachusetts, founded by David Ashley, has been creating all natural, award-winning products for over 20 years. Cooks Illustrated crowned its Mad Dog BBQ Sauce the Original Best in USA; Southern Living named Mad Dog Best Original BBQ Sauce; Mad Dog Inferno Hot was the first hot sauce to hold the title Worlds Hottest Sauce; and Mad Cat Hot Sauce won 1st Place Habanero Hot Sauce at the Scovie Awards held by Fiery Foods & Barbecue. Ashley products have appeared on The Today Show, Friends, King of Queens The Regis & Kathie Lee Show, The Drew Carey Show, Everyone Loves Raymond and Legally Blonde 2 and have been featured in The Wall Street Journal and Playboy.

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