Capsicum annuum - Katphala

Green-chilli

Chilli is considered as one of the best spices used in Kitchen. Chillies are used in cooking, pickles and chutney. Red chillies are used as dried as well as powder both in vegetarian and no-vegetarian cooking. Due to its universal use, it is known as “the Queen of Spices”.

Health Benefits of Chilli

1. Appetizer: The paste of chillies, salt and turmeric are used to make as like as pickles. If one takes small amount of it, acts like as appetizer.
2. Diarrhoea: A person suffering from diarrhoea, tablets made with the combinations of chillies, camphor, cumin seeds and asafoetida may be given in the dose of 125 gram to cure from this diseases.
3. Pain and Sprain: The application of mix of red chillies medicated with castor oil is useful in easing from pain and sprain.
4. Numbness: Feeling lack of sensation in legs, mustard oil medicated with red chillies may be applied to cure numbness.
5. Heart Attack: The University of Cincinnati has researched that chilli due to presence of capsaicin lower blood pressure and reduces the level of cholesterol. It also prevent arteriolosclerosis.
6. Diabetes: A new Canadian research has shown that eating of chilli pepper prevent diabetes due to capsaicin component.
7. Capsaicin: The alkaloid compound, capsaicin acts like as anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic.
8. Vitamin C: Fresh red and green chilli are rich in vitamin C, which helps in protecting from scurvy, develop immune system and works against free radicals.
9. Antioxidants: Chilli pepper is abundant with antioxidants such as vitamin A, flavonoids, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin, and cryptoxanthin. All these antioxidants helps to fight against free radicals thereby save the body from many diseases. Vitamin A is good for healthy mucous membrane.

Common name

• English - Green chilli
• Kannada - ಹಸಿಮೆಣಸಿನ ಕಾಯಿ
• Hindi - हरी मिर्च

External link

• wikipedia