Foods High in Capsaicin | Health Benefits of Capsaicin

Capsaicin

Health benefits of Capsaicin:

Capsaicin is a naturally occurring plant chemical (phytochemical) that gives chillies their heat and may also have significant health benefits along with the addictive 'heat' element central to many world cuisines.

The Worlds Science

What is capsaicin?

Capsaicin covers a group of compounds called capsaicinoids: capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin and homocapsaicin, the most powerful of which is capsaicin.

Did you know?

There is considerable interest in capsaicin and the health benefits it may afford from interrupting the cycle of cancer to helping with appetite and obesity. Most of this research in in vitro (test tube) and we are in the process of examining the evidence.

Classification of chillies

We have classified the amount of capsaicin in chillies based on the their rating on the Scoville scale1.

The Scoville scale

The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spicy heat) of chilli peppers—such as the jalapeño, the bhut jolokia or ghost chilli, and the world's current hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper—or other spicy foods as reported in Scoville heat units (SHU)2.

Review date: 1/12/2024

Next review date: 1/10/2025