Remains of chile peppers that are about 7,000 years old have been found in Peru. Various types of peppers are used medicinally and for food. Their homeland is tropical America, and they were brought to Europe by the doctor of Christopher Columbus in 1493. They appeared in the Balkans after the arrival of the Ottomans.

Hot cayenne peppers, also called chile peppers, are the most valuable on the international market. They come from Mexico, and are also cultivated in South America. Chile peppers are 2 cm long and 4-5 mm thick, they can be green or in most cases red - with different shades from orange to red. They owe this hot taste to the alkaloid capsaicin, which in chili peppers reaches 0.50 percent.

The useful hot properties of Bulgarian peppers, varieties "shtipka", "chorbadzhiyski", etc. should not be neglected. They contain carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids, essential oils, sugars, saponins, especially a large amount of vitamin C, provitamin A, flavones, organic acids, carotene dyes, etc.

Red hot peppers that contain at least 200 mg/% capsaicin are required for medicinal purposes. In the shell of hot peppers there are salts of potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, etc.

100 g of green peppers or 50 g of red peppers are enough for a person to get the daily dose of vitamin C, which is also sufficient for people who do heavy physical work.

Red chili peppers have a healing effect. They are taken internally in the form of powder mainly as a stomachic, choleretic, weak diuretic, to strengthen the body after a serious illness or surgery. It is taken at the tip of the knife 3 times a day, before meals.

Hot peppers can be used externally in the form of patches or ointments, mainly for rheumatism or sciatica.

It should be known that the use of large amounts of hot peppers can cause difficult-to-treat diseases of the stomach and intestines. They irritate the skin and more sensitive people may develop eczema.

To regulate the functions of the stomach and intestines in case of constipation, 3-4 red or green sweet peppers can be taken on an empty stomach 30 minutes before a meal. In winter, they can be replaced with pickled ones.

As a spice, hot peppers have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, increase appetite and tone the body. Ground red pepper is used a lot in cooking.