Cayenne Pepper, Nature’s Magical Medicine
Take a look at the following recipe and see how easy it is to prepare and store, and it can be used at a moment’s notice to provide pain relief while also promoting healing.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of fresh cayenne pepper powder
½ cup of olive oil
½ ounce of beeswax
Cheese cloth
Double Boiler
Infusing the Pepper
The first step is to infuse the cayenne pepper with the olive oil. This will draw out the essential substances within the pepper and make the remedy as powerful and effective as possible. Place the oil and pepper into the double boiler and warm the ingredients to just below the boiling point. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Heat again and repeat the process at least five times. You can do it as often as you like, and the more you heat and cool the mixture, the more potent it will become.
Once you have finished the infusion process, pour the heated oil and pepper mixture through the cheesecloth and allow it to drain into a glass or small bowl. This will separate the larger pieces of pepper and leave a nice smooth liquid. It’s important to do this when the oil is hot and runny in order to extract as much of the medicine as possible.
Preparing the Medicine
Clean the inner pot with water and place back in the double boiler. Add the beeswax and bring it up to a low heat until it begins to melt. Gently stir the wax to over low heat until it becomes a liquid, but don’t let it boil. The wax can scorch as well as splatter and burn the skin on contact. Once the wax has melted, add the oil/pepper medicine and mix thoroughly over low heat until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Remove from heat and pour into clean and dry containers. Allow them to cool at room temperature before attaching the lids. Make sure to label the containers so they don’t get confused with other products as the medicine can produce painful burning if ingested or come into contact with the eyes. Store in a cool and dry place until needed.
Practical Uses
This remedy is intended to be a topical treatment but it can also be used for minor scratches, cuts and abrasions. However, it will burn on broken skin for a minute or two until it deadens the nerves and provides anesthetic relief. You should also expect to feel a moderately-warm sensation when applied to closed skin as well, but this will not last long and the benefits far outweigh the minor initial discomfort.
Cayenne pepper has fantastic anti-inflammatory properties in addition to promoting skin healing. It also gets absorbed by the skin and soothes underlying tissues, muscles and joints. Capsicum, the main active ingredient in all hot peppers, including cayenne, blocks one of the major pain receptors in the brain. The olive oil helps to protect and soothe the skin while the beeswax gives the ointment its consistency which allows it to adhere to the affected area. It also has substances that helps to promote skin healing.
This remedy is known to not only treat bug bites and minor scrapes and cuts, but a wide range of common and chronic pain problems as well. People who suffer from diabetic nerve pain, migraines, arthritis, bruises, cramps from menstruation and even shingles have reported improvements after a few days to a few weeks of treatment.
Keep a batch on hand and see how this simple, safe and natural remedy can be one of the most powerful pain-reliving and skin healing treatments you can have in your medicine cabinet or survival first aid kit.
