Fiery Peppers!

Capsicum annuum

Gender: Masculine
Element: Fire
Planet: Mars

This week’s herb is the fiery hot pepper! The cold days of February seem to call for fire and light. In addition to spicing up our foods, peppers can keep love hot and spicy and provide much needed heat to love spells. They are often used during Valentine’s season as an aphrodisiac and to intensify romantic feasts.! You’ll find a recipe to ensure fidelity below as well! 

Peppers are most often thought of as a flavoring to heat up foods, but their benefits reach far beyond flavoring. Capsaicin, the ingredient that creates the fire, has been used historically, particularly before refrigeration, in warmer climates where foods would be likely to spoil faster. It is credited with inhibiting up to as much as 75% of bacterial growth. 

Capsicum is an anti-inflammatory and helps prevent allergies. Peppers are high in beta carotene and antioxidants and can aid in fighting off colds and the flu. They have been proven to reduce the growth of cancer cells. These spicy wonders also increase the metabolic rate to aid in weight loss and can help suppress the appetite. 

For years people with ulcers have been told to avoid hot peppers, but research has shown that peppers reduce the acidity that causes the ulcers. They also promote a healthier heart by lowering cholesterol and reducing lipid deposits. 

The physical benefits are impressive but those of you who have followed me for awhile know I’m also charmed by the folk lore and legends of plants and herbs. As we enter February, the month of love, romance and Valentines, it is helpful to know that peppers can aid in fidelity!

If you feel your beloved has wandering eyes, find two dried peppers, place them together in the form of an X, and tie them with a pink or red ribbon. Place the peppers under your pillow for several nights and you will find your partner’s love returning to you and only you!