What Are the Harmful Effects of Chili Essential Oil? Things to Know Before Use

It is native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, and is cultivated even more extensively in Mexico. Chili peppers reached Europe in 1492, when Columbus discovered the New World; they spread from Spain to France and Italy, and were introduced to Japan between 1583 and 1598. Today they have spread throughout the world. They were introduced to our country in the late Ming Dynasty (1640). The Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty had no record of chili peppers; they first appear in the late Ming work Huajing Caohua Pu, which says: the pepper plant grows in clumps, with white flowers and fruit that looks just like a bald brush tip, spicy in taste and red in color, quite a sight, propagated by seed.

The Harmful Effects of Chili Essential Oil

1. When the skin, eyes, mouth, respiratory tract or digestive tract is injured, inflamed or ulcerated, never try foods containing chili extract.
2. Too much capsaicin strongly irritates the gastrointestinal mucosa, making it highly congested and speeding up peristalsis, causing stomach pain, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and burning, stinging pain in the anus; it can trigger gastrointestinal diseases and promote bleeding from hemorrhoids.
3. After your hands touch it, do not touch or rub your eyes for some time afterward, to avoid unnecessary pain.
4. In patients with enlarged prostate, chili peppers irritate the prostate, causing it to become congested and swollen.
5. In patients with gallstones and chronic cholecystitis, chili peppers increase the production of cholecystokinin, causing tension in the sphincter of the bile duct opening and poor bile outflow.
6. In patients with nephritis, research has shown that during human metabolism, pungent components often have to be excreted through the kidneys, exerting varying degrees of irritation on kidney cells.
7. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, chili peppers can combine with antibodies in the human body to form immune complexes that deposit around the joints and release chemicals that cause pain, aggravating arthritis.
8. Although chili extract is not an illegal additive but an extract of a natural food ingredient, even though it is a natural substance, it may still be contaminated during processing and use. For example, the organic solvents used in extraction and blending may leave residues, which is exactly why chili extract products specify limits for harmful substance residues. At the same time, even if it is a component of natural chili peppers, excessive use may still be harmful to health.