When your stomach is roiling, the last thing you might want to consume is hot pepper. But cayenne pepper, a hot powder consisting of several varieties of tropical chiles, has long been used to treat indigestion and stomach ailments. The capsaicin in cayenne may have a palliative effect on certain types of stomach ailments – but not always the stomach flu.
Traditional Use
Cayenne has been used by Native Americans as a spice and a medicinal aid for thousands of years. The capsaicin in cayenne, which is what makes it hot, has alleged healing properties to fight pain, assist with weight loss and topically assuage symptoms of psoriasis. Cayenne is also used as a digestive aid to treat cramping and gas pains in traditional Ayurvedic and Asian medicines. It may help make you more regular and improve the functioning of the stomach muscles. Cayenne is not traditionally used to treat someone in the throws of a stomach virus, however.
Stomach Virus
A stomach virus can have many causes and often simply has to run its course. If taken for a long time, certain medications, particularly aspirin and ibuprofen, can cause symptoms of a stomach flu. Stress can make you vulnerable to stomach viruses as can a weak immune system. Symptoms generally involve cramping, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. When your symptoms are severe, you may have trouble keeping water down – cayenne would probably not be well tolerated either. Nor does scientific evidence support the use of cayenne to treat these symptoms.
Evidence
Cayenne does have some scientifically supported uses for gastrointenstinal problems. In a 2006 issue, Critical Reviews in Food, Science and Nutrition printed a review noting that capsaicin in chiles helps stimulate receptors in the stomach that inhibited excessive excretion of gastric acid, which may have applications for people suffering from stomach ulcers. A March 1995 issue of Esophageal, Gastric and Duodenal Disorders performed a study on humans finding that chiles can help relieve stomach irritation caused by overconsumption of aspirin. No notable studies on the effectiveness of cayenne pepper or capsaicin for stomach viruses exist, however.
Considerations
Consult your physician before consuming any alternative treatment for an illness. If you are recovering from the stomach flu and can tolerate cayenne, it may help relieve lingering cramping and reduce stomach acidity which can make you feel ill. Capsaicin may interact unfavorably with certain high blood pressure medications and blood-thinning medications.
