Serious
Salsa
Seriously Addictive
Amazing
Chili Mix
After
the Burn, the Glow
One
may wonder how such a thoroughly pugnaciuos fruit as chile ever became
the world's most widely used condiment. With chiles such as the habanero,
which is the most potent domesticated species on the market, how did
the early Mesoamericans ever get it in thir heads to bite this forbidding
fruit, let alone develop a cuisine around it?
Plant
chemists such as Dr. Eloy Rodriguez, the James Perkins Professor of
Environmental Biology at Cornell University, is one of several scientists
puzzled by this question. Although he has not come up with a definitive
answer, Rodriguez said there's plenty of evidence to show that chiles
indeed possess many admirable qualities, at least once you get past
the immediate burning sensation.
So
far, the more than 850 studies of chile's active chemical compounds
indicate that chiles can help you lose weight, relieve joint pain, boost
the circulatory system, and act as a powerful repellent against would-be
muggers. When consumed in the fresh green form, this multitalented fruit
contains twice as much vitamin C as oranges; when eaten in the dried
form, it's an excellent source of vitamin A.
Still,
chile has been blamed for such disorders as heartburn, indigestion,
ulcers, and cancer. But experiments conducted at Baylor Medical School
show that capsaicin, the active chemical agent in chile that tingles
the tongue, is actually nonirritating. Capsaicin is also an antioxidant
that retards the production of nitrosamines, which cause cancer. Other
studies show that the use of chile has massive benefits to the heart
as well as the arteries. Capsaicin reduces the number of blood clots
in the blood vessels. It reduces blood pressure by causing the arteries
to relax, and consquently strengthens the heartbeat. And there are benefits
for both the weight-conscious and thrill seekers.
Regular
consumers of chile benefit from an increase in their metabolic rate,
thereby helping them reduce weight by burning carbohydrates more efficiently.
The chile aficionado also knows that the initial burning sensation is
followed by numbing afterglow that allows the addict to increase the
dosage and enter a new threshold of pleasure.
It
is this unique numbing property that has made capsaicin the subject
of intense research. For years, Native Americans have used chile for
treating the pain of toothaches and childbirth. Recently, neurologists
discovered that capsaicin effectively shuts down the nerves that transmit
pain messages in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and phantom-limb
pain.
©Victor
Valle and Mary Lau Valle
Recipe
of Memory
Last
Updated: December 05, 2004
