Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
borne on axillary bunches. It produces polymorphic berries 18 cm long; usually globular, ovoid, or
oblong in shape; green colored and yellow to red when ripe.
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Habitat and Distribution —
The species is cultivated throughout tropical Africa; several
hybrids and strains are known.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The fruits are used as a carminative, tonic, spasmolytic, antisep-
tic, rubefacient, and stimulant. In traditional medicine, they are employed mainly as a flavoring
agent in compound formulations. A poultice prepared with the ground fruits, kaolin, and bark of
Newbouldia laevis
is used in postpartum medication as a general tonic. An ointment prepared with
the fruit extract is used topically for skin infections.
Constituents —
The fruit contains capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin, and
related alkaloids. The capsaicin content increases with maturation of the fruit. The color of the
fruits is due to the presence of carotene, capsanthin, and capsorubin, as well as steroidal saponins.
Vitamins A and C also occur in the plant. The common carotenoids with provitamin A activity,
β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin, occur in the plant.
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Pharmacological Studies —
The alkaloid capsaicin has been studied extensively and has been
shown to possess antimicrobial, spasmolytic, vasodilatory, rubefacient, counterirritant, and stimula-
tory activity on the digestive system.
123
It has a somewhat ambiguous effect in the stomach mucosa.
It has shown the ability to excite and later defunctionalize a subset of primary afferent neurons and
has been extensively used as a probe to elucidate the function of these sensory neurons in a num-
ber of physiological processes. In the rat stomach, experimental data provided clear evidence that
capsaicin-sensitive (CS) sensory nerves are involved in a local defense mechanism against gastric
ulcer. Stimulation of CS sensory nerves with low intragastric concentrations of capsaicin protected
the rat gastric mucosa against injury produced by different ulcerogenic agents. High local desensi-
tizing concentrations of capsaicin or systemic neurotoxic doses of the agent markedly enhanced the
susceptibility of the rat gastric mucosa to later noxious challenge.
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One of the steroidal saponins found in the fruits exhibited antibacterial activity.
361
The fruit
extract has been employed in various formulations: a gargle for laryngitis, improvement of periph-
eral circulation, alleviation of flatulence and colic, and externally as an ointment for lumbago,
unbroken chilblains, muscle pains, and stiffness.
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Hot pepper has an antioxidant activity that is
due to its phenolic content. Both ripe and unripe hot peppers prevented Fe
2+
-induced lipid peroxi-
dation in the rat brain. The unripe pepper had a significantly (
p
< 0.05) higher total phenol, Fe
2+
chelating ability and inhibitory effect on the basal and Fe
2+
-induced lipid peroxidation in the brain
tissues than the ripe pepper.
362
Most pharmaceutical applications of
Capsicum
is done with
Capsicum oleoresin
, a thick, dark
reddish-brown liquid concentrate produced by the extraction of fruits with volatile solvents or by
supercritical fluid extraction. The capsaicin content of
Capsicum oleoresin
is highly variable, and
the oleoresin exhibits differences in its ability to mediate substance P release, the neuropeptide
which causes vasodilation due to the release of NO from the endothelium. The quality of the oleo-
resin has to be tightly controlled for uniform pharmacological outcome since the liquid contains
over 100 chemicals, alcohols, carbonyls, carboxylic acids, esters, pyrazine compounds, and ter-
penes in the volatile component of the resin.
CAPSICUM FRUTESCENS
Botanical Name —
Capsicum frutescens
L. (= Variety:
Capsicum annuum
APG)
Synonyms —
C. frutescens
var.
minimum
,
C. baccatum
L.,
C. fastigiatum
BI.
Family —
Solanaceae
Common Names —
Fructus capsici, African
Capsicum
, Japanese chilies, piment de cayenne,
piment enrage (F), pilipili (francophone Africa), cayenne pepper
