Double Nn Image: © Thomas Mesaglio, https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/309905969
Capsicum annuum or Cayenne Pepper is a South American shrubby plant with jagged stems (Lloyd & Felter, 1898). The height of the plant is typically around 2 feet tall, but it can reach up to 6 feet in height (Grieve, n.d.). The leaves are oval shaped with a point at the end. The flowers are loosely flowing and droop towards the ground. They are snow-white in color. The fruit can come in multiple different shapes such as fat, tubular with a sharp bottom or long, thin, and J or L shaped. The color also varies from green, yellow, and red depending on the variety, however, red is the common color.
Cayenne grows in ample sunlight during the spring and summer months (Lesser, 2022). When planting, it should be after the last bit of winter frost has melted because they are easily affected by the cold. The soil should be moist, acidic or neutral in pH, and rich in nutrients. Water the plant generously whenever the top 1 or 2 inches of soil is dry. Cayenne is best harvested after 70-100 days when the fruit is long, firm, waxy, and red (T.B., 2022). Healthy plants produce about 10-30 pepper fruits at a time. In order to retrieve the peppers, grab the branch with one hand and gently pluck the pepper with the other. Shears or pruners can also be employed to help avoid damaging the plant. Simply cut anywhere on the stem to acquire the fruit. Regular harvesting allows more peppers to grow from the plant. Leaving them on the plant too long will cause them to shrivel up. Cayenne can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and to a year in the freezer. They are also turned into powders for seasoning.
Cayenne pepper has multiple different health benefits such as healing colds, sore throats, fevers, nausea, and more (Lloyd & Felter, 1898). One way to make a cayenne-based medicine is by making a tincture. However, first, the cayenne pepper harvested must be converted into a powder. Powdered herbs have greater surface area which allows for the solvent to extract the constituents easier. Wash and dry the peppers while wearing gloves to avoid burning your hands (Old World Garden Farms, 2021). Then with scissors or a knife, chop off the stems and any abnormal areas on the fruit. Preheat your oven to 200F and place the peppers on a baking sheet. Bake them until they are dried. There is no set amount of time because how long it will take for the peppers to dry depends on their size and thickness. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow them to cool. Then take a food processor or grinder, pulse them until they meet the desired powdered consistency. Finally, sift the powder through a strainer to separate the seeds.
Next, to make a tincture at a 1:5 ratio with a total of 500mL solvent using 60% alcohol, take 300mL of alcohol and combine with 200mL of water (Miller, 2022). Measure 100g of cayenne pepper powder and pour it into a jar. Then cover the powder with 500mL of solvent and stir. Lastly, store the jar in a dark place and shake every day for one week. Then let the jar sit for 4-8 weeks. Filter out the mixture, and the tincture is ready to be used.
References
Grieve, M. (n.d.). Cayenne. A Modern Herbal. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from
Homemade cayenne pepper powder recipe – taste the freshness! Old World Garden Farms. (2021, September 17). Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2015/09/02/how-to-make-your-own-ground-cayenne-pepper-its-so-simple/
Lesser, J. (2022, May 9). How to grow and care for cayenne peppers. The Spruce. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www.thespruce.com/growing-cayenne-pepper-plant-5089794
Lloyd, J. U., & Felter, H. W. (1898). Capsicum (U. S. P.)—Capsicum. In King’s American Dispensatory (Vol. 1). essay, Ohio Valley Company. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/capsicum.html
Miller, B. (2022). Tinctures and Glycerites. Herbal Pharmacy. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://learn.muih.edu/courses/11597/pages/module-6-resources?module_item_id=434261.
T.B., J. (2022, September 12). When to pick Cayenne Peppers: The best time for harvesting.
Grow Hot Peppers. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from
