7 unconventional uses for pepper
01/30/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield
Pepper: it’s a humble seasoning and spice that no home nor restaurant kitchen can do without. Yet far from just adding a touch of heat to any dish, peppers have a wide array of uses. And many of these don’t even have anything to do with food. Read on to discover the various possible applications of peppers around your home. (h/t to MyFamilySurvivalPlan.com)
- Pepper can remedy a cold: Struggling with a bad cold or clogged-up sinuses? Dust your favorite foods with a healthy sprinkling of pepper and chow down. The chemicals present in pepper have been shown to irritate the nose membranes and lead to the production of thinner mucus, making pepper a natural nasal decongestant. But if your tolerance for spiciness is non-existent, you can get around this by mixing a few drops of pepper oil and one drop of eucalyptus oil in boiling water. Give it a whiff to achieve sweet relief.
- Pepper is good for your liver: Capsaicin is the compound that gives chili peppers their signature heat. Numerous health benefits have become associated with capsaicin throughout the years, one of these is its potential in preventing liver damage and deterioration. Get the most out of capsaicin by drinking this mixture before breakfast every morning:
- A cup of water
- One lemon or lime, squeezed
- One teaspoon (tsp.) of the natural sweetener of your choice (Maple syrup or honey are good for this)
- 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
- Treat a migraine with pepper: On top of being good for your liver, capsaicin is also known for its positive effects on pain. According to MigraineAgain.com, capsaicin does this by dulling a neurotransmitter that sends pain signals to the brain. So the next time you get a migraine, sprinkle some cayenne pepper into a glass of warm water and drink up. Mixing cayenne pepper with some olive oil and then rubbing it onto your temples is believed to be just as effective. (Related: 10 Great Reasons to Add Cayenne Pepper to Your Grocery List)
- Use pepper to brighten your clothes: Breathe new life into dull-colored clothing by adding a couple of teaspoons of black pepper into every load. Not only will the black pepper make the colors pop once more, they’ll prevent them from running as well. And don’t worry about your clothes coming out with pepper flecks as they’ll wash right out.
- Keep ants away with pepper: Both black pepper and cayenne pepper are said to be good for getting rid of ants, but cayenne pepper is often touted as the better option. Ants despise the smell of cayenne pepper, so make them go away by scattering it all over the source of the ant infestation or the ants themselves. If cayenne pepper is unavailable, you can simply mix some black pepper with water and then spray it onto the ants.
- Protect your plants with pepper: Did you know that ants aren’t the only pests that hate pepper? Many other garden insects and wildlife pests do too. Ensure that they never bother your garden again by combining black pepper with equal parts flour and surrounding your plants with the mixture.
- Pepper can save your bird feeder: While birds don’t really mind the taste of cayenne pepper, squirrels can’t stand it. Utilize this to your advantage by adding cayenne pepper to your bird feeder and giving the squirrels a good reason to never bother your bird feeder again. As a bonus, the vitamins in cayenne pepper can improve bird plumage.
Do yourself a favor and stock up on some cayenne pepper and black pepper. Even if you don’t eat them everyday, you never know when you’ll need to solve an ant problem or grapple with a migraine. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and you’ll be anything but sorry when you’ve got pepper around your home.
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