When You Drink Cayenne Pepper Water, This Is What Happens

If you like spicy food and are looking for a way to boost your overall health, you might want to try adding cayenne pepper water to your everyday diet. Cayenne pepper water is made from blending ground cayenne pepper with water. It can be served either cold or hot and offers a number of potential health benefits (via Livestrong). While cayenne pepper is traditionally a cooking spice, it can also be used to treat health problems. Most of the health benefits of the beverage come from a compound in cayenne pepper known as capsaicin. Capsaicin is what gives peppers their hot and spicy kick. In a nutshell, the more capsaicin a pepper has, the hotter it will be. Cayenne pepper has a rating of 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units, which means the pepper is moderately hot (via Verywell Fit).

When applied topically, capsaicin has a therapeutic effect and is often used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. However when taken internally, the list of benefits from cayenne pepper are even more extensive. From helping to manage weight, decreasing the risk of cancer, and lowering blood pressure, cayenne pepper is considered a superfood in many ways. Continue reading to learn more about how regularly consuming cayenne pepper can affect your body.

For those who struggle with digestive issues, there's good news in the form of cayenne pepper. Despite spicy food's bad rap for instigating gut trouble, the Cleveland Clinic explains that cayenne pepper can actually help get things moving in a good way as well. Registered dietitian Alexis Supan spoke to the site and said, "Cayenne pepper is really helpful for digestion. It increases gastric juices and enzyme production in the stomach, which helps us break down food."

Another way cayenne pepper can be beneficial to your gut is by helping to improve your gut microbiome. Healthline explains that the gut microbiome is essentially a collection of the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi — also known as microbes — that live inside your gut. A more diverse collection of microbes in the body is generally associated with improved gut health, and can contribute to improved digestion and other key health concerns. A study published by the journal Nutrients shows a strong link between consuming cayenne pepper and an improved gut microbiome. The researchers did an experiment using a model of a human gut microbiome to observe what would happen when capsaicin was introduced. They discovered that with regular capsaicin treatment, the diversity of bacteria in the gut increased, improving the overall health of the microbiome.

In addition to the super-ingredient capsaicin, cayenne pepper boasts a number of other vitamins and minerals. Just one 45-gram pepper offers a whopping 72% of the daily recommended value of vitamin C, according to Healthline. Vitamin C is a key element in maintaining a healthy immune system, and it is what Healthline calls an "essential vitamin," meaning the body cannot produce it itself. 

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and Healthline explains that one of the primary roles of antioxidants is to help maintain a healthy immune system by protecting the body from free radicals — when these molecules become too numerous they can cause oxidative stress, which potentially can lead to a number of chronic diseases. Furthermore, vitamin C stimulates the production of two types of white blood cells, lymphocytes and phagocytes, which can help ward off infection. And in addition to helping the body to produce the white blood cells, vitamin C also boosts their effectiveness by clearing the body of free radicals, which can be harmful to them. Lastly, vitamin C is a key element in maintaining the skin's health, helping to keep the protective skin barrier strong.

Need to get rid of that stuffy nose, stat? Take a few swigs of cayenne pepper water to get some sweet relief. While it might seem like an old wives' tale, there is actually some science behind this technique. Medical News Today explains that the capsaicin in cayenne pepper can help ease cold symptoms such as "sneezing, a stuffy nose, postnasal drip, and congestion."  Indeed, a study published by The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology confirmed this benefit of capsaicin. In the study, researchers offered them a nasal spray that contained capsaicin to 46 people who were experiencing non-allergic rhinitis. Of the subjects, 52% saw improvement in their symptoms within one minute of injecting the spray, and 74% of patients saw experienced relief within the first two minutes. But why, exactly, does this work? Per Medical News Today, capsaicin might shrink the blood vessels in the nose and throat. These vessels become dilated as a response to infection, causing fluid build-up and generally uncomfortable symptoms (via Lifeblood).

Don't worry: If you're not feeling brave enough to snort cayenne pepper up your nose – which we do not recommend trying, as it could cause irritation inside the nasal canal (via The People's Pharmacy) – Medical News Today says that drinking hot cayenne pepper tea can be just as effective at reducing the symptoms of congestion.

If you've been drinking cayenne pepper water and out of nowhere get the sudden urge to run to the bathroom, you may be experiencing another unpleasant side effect. Verywell Health points out that capsaicin, the same ingredient that gives cayenne pepper its health benefits, can also trigger things to move quickly through your gut. This is because capsaicin can cause irritation in the stomach — and when this happens, your body engages in a defensive response. 

As it passes through your system, capsaicin triggers what is called vanilloid receptor 1, which is a protein that essentially signals to your brain that your innards are burning — yikes! In response, the brain releases endorphins to help block any pain, and the small intestine and colon both try to push the potentially harmful food through your system as quickly as possible. Thus, diarrhea.

According to Verywell Health, it usually takes around a day or two for the diarrhea to cease. In the meantime, avoiding spicy foods, staying hydrated, and avoiding caffeine are all recommended. You might want to stay away from spicy food in general if you tend to get diarrhea after eating it, but if you can't resist, consume dairy or something sweet alongside the spicy food, as they can both cut down on the burn.

Spicy food does have some potentially irritating side effects — and the capsaicin found in spicy food may cause more problems for those who have sensitive stomachs and digestive tracts than for those who don't, according to Livestrong. While the lining of the stomach is typically robust, eating spicy foods in high quantities can actually cause inflammation in the area, also known as gastritis. This, in turn, can cause stomach pain. Furthermore, if you have stomach ulcers, eating spicy food can make irritation worse; however, there are some cases where capsaicin can help improve symptoms of stomach ulcers by blocking pain. Finally, for those that have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), spicy foods can make those symptoms worse in some instances. When it comes to digestive irritation caused by capsaicin, it really depends on your individual body. If you find yourself in pain or discomfort after eating spicy food, this is an indication that maybe you should avoid those spicy triggers. For others, chowing down on a spicy meal may cause no ill effects.

If you regularly experience numbness, muscle cramps, or cold hands or feet, there's a chance you might be dealing with poor circulation. Healthline explains that poor circulation can be due to a number of factors, including diabetes, being overweight, artery disease, and many other conditions. Whatever the cause, there are certain foods you can eat to help relieve symptoms, and cayenne pepper is at the top of the list. According to Healthline, the capsaicin in cayenne pepper helps improve circulation by expanding your blood vessels. Therefore, blood is able to flow to your tissues more easily, and your blood pressure is lowered at the same time. In addition, capsaicin also strengthens your blood vessels and helps to keep your arteries clear of plaque buildup.

And cayenne pepper doesn't only help your circulation when you ingest it. If you need to relieve pain on a particular area of your body, you can apply a topical cream containing cayenne pepper to the affected spot, as the capsaicin can help encourage blood flow to promote healing.

Another major benefit of consuming cayenne pepper is the potential for improved vision. The vitamin A found in cayenne pepper is known to help maintain eye health — indeed, Healthline lists vitamin A as one of the top vitamins to support your eyes. This is because vitamin A plays an important role in making sure the cornea, which is the top layer of your eye, remains clear. Vitamin A is also part of the makeup of the protein rhodopsin, which enables you to see in conditions where there is little light. While most people are able to meet their daily needs of vitamin A through food, it is possible to develop a deficiency, which can lead to a progressive eye disease known as Xerophthalmia. If your vitamin A needs continue to go unmet, this disease can eventually dry out your tear ducts and eyes, soften your cornea, and lead to permanent blindness. Instead of taking supplements to up your Vitamin A intake, Healthline recommends increasing your consumption of vitamin A-rich foods.