Witnessed by: TCM · Western · Unani
Cayenne (Capsicum annuum), of the Solanaceae family. Branching annual or short-lived perennial herb; native range: Tropical Central and South America; carried worldwide after 1500 and now grown across Asia. Globally recognized as lal mirch in Hindi, la jiao (辣椒) in Chinese, filfil ahmar (فلفل أحمر) in Arabic, and chilli pepper, red pepper, bird pepper in English. The part used is ripe fruit. Glossy pods ripening scarlet, hollow about a papery core of flat seeds, with a heat that builds and lingers as capsaicin sets the mouth ablaze.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
CAYENNE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Cayenne
- Scientific name
- Capsicum annuum L.
- Family
- Solanaceae
Form
- Part used
- ripe fruit
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
- Western
- pungent · acrid
- Unani
- pungent · acrid
Temperature
- TCM
- hot
- Western
- hot
- Unani
- hot & dry (3rd–4th degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Spleen · Stomach · Heart
- Western
- digestion · circulation · heart · skin
- Unani
- stomach · heart · nerves
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- warms the middle, dispels cold and stimulates the appetite
- Western
- stimulant, rubefacient, carminative, diaphoretic, counter-irritant, and a topical haemostatic
- Unani
- muharrik (stimulant), hazim (digestive), kaasir-e-riyah (carminative), jali (detergent)
Cautions
Contraindications: gastritis and peptic ulcer, haemorrhoids, high heat states, and excess in pregnancy
Toxicity: burning and irritation of the gut in excess; blistering of skin and severe stinging of eyes and mucous membranes on contact
Interactions
- Western
- anticoagulants: may add a mild antiplatelet effect
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.