The 15 Health Benefits of Green Chillies

If there’s a phrase that summarizes our addiction to spicy food, it would be a “thing that hurts so well”.
The pungency of spicy food could replicate the euphoric feeling of happy experiences.

Most of us are focused on the addictive side of spicy food but rarely on its healthy side. For an instance,
green chili, one of the most common ingredient of spicy food that makes it fiery has many health
benefits. It is believed that green chili originated from the central part of America where it was widely
used as herbal medicine. Moreover, the list below will tell you about the health benefits of green chili.

1. It can make your skin glow

Why would you still cling on skin products when green chili can make your skin glow and look
healthy? Studies suggest that green chili could give your skin a glowing and younger look. Green
chili contains vitamin C, an essential vitamin that stimulates collagen production. Collagen has
the ability to reduce fine lines, thicken the dermis and is vital for firm and youthful skin.
Moreover, according to Tian C (2019), aside from these aesthetic benefits, green chili is also a
great aid in curing skin infections and acne. He also added that it is important to store the
chillies in dark and cool place as the chillies might lose Vitamin C if exposed to heat and light.
2. It gives you a sharp vision
Green chili can make you cry because of the extreme pungency it gives but believe it or not, in
an ironic twist of fate, it can also give you a sharp vision. Studies suggest that green chili is good
for our eyes. According to Parks (2014), vitamin A, the most abundant component in green chili,
is the key for good vision. She added that vitamin A enhances the production of retina
pigmentation and promotes night vision. It also plays a role in sustaining a clear cornea, which is
the outside covering of our eyes. Deficiencies in this nutrients could result in weakened vision
and immunity.
3. It is good for our teeth and bones
Vitamins A and C are essential vitamins for good teeth and bones. Aside from its eye and skin
benefits, Parks (2014) added these vitamins are essential for the development of collagen, scar
tissue, ligaments, tendons and blood vessels. It helps the body to sustain and repair wounds,
bones, teeth and cartilage. They are both important components that make your gums healthy
and is essential for the mineralization of our bones. An increase in these vitamins is associated
with greater teeth and bones density.
4. It is a natural antioxidant
Surprisingly, green chili can make your life longer! According to studies, it has antioxidants that
can protect your cells from free radicals. Antioxidants are substances that slow down or prevent
free radicals, unstable molecules that play huge role in the development of cancer, stroke, heart
disease, and other diseases of aging. Green chili contains carotenoid, commonly known as
retinol, which is associated with the antioxidant beta-carotene. Based on this premises, it is safe
to assume that green chili helps you fight free radicals which in turn makes you live longer!
5. It is good for the heart
Green chili reduces the probability of developing atherosclerosis by decreasing blood
cholesterol and triglyceride levels and platelet aggregation, as well as increasing fibrinolytic
activity. Fibrinolytic activity is the capability of our body to avoid formation of blood clots, which
in turn can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
6. It promotes good digestion
Green chili is great for our digestion. According to Arora (2017), green chili speeds up our
metabolism as much as 50% for up to three hours after eating. It has plenty of dietary fibers that
helps us digest food in a much faster rate. Moreover, the heat produced from eating green chili
can act as a digestive pain reliever, refuting the common belief that spicy herbs like chili can
cause ulcer. However, since green chili has a good amount of dietary fiber, eating too much has
a consequence. It may result in loose motion or diarrhea, so don’t try to eat too much!
7. It is a stress reliever
Green chili contains capsaicin, the primary reason of its pungency. Capsaicin has the ability to
trick your brain into thinking that your tongue or mouth is being burned. Whenever we feel pain
somewhere in our body, the brains sends chemical called endorphins. Endorphins are the
chemical responsible for relieving the pain by blocking the nerve’s ability to transmit pain signals
back to your brain. In addition, along with endorphins, the brain also produces dopamine,
responsible for a sense of pleasure and satisfaction. These chemicals are the one responsible for
making you happy and stress-free. It is the one that triggers the same happiness and joy feeling
when you get enough sleep, when you listen to a new soundtrack by your favorite artist and
when you see the person you admire the most.
8. It is a pain reliever
Aside from stress, it can also relieve pain. According to Parks (2014), capsaicin efficiently
constrains neuropeptides that cause inflammation which decreases inflammation when
ingested. Furthermore, there is a clinical evidence that capsaicin can also cure nerve-related
disorders like persistent pain, psoriasis and neuropathy. Moreover, capsaicin acts as a natural
pain reliever that is potent enough to help treat conditions like osteoarthritis.
9. It lowers your body temperature
If you’re living in a place with tropical climate, eating green chili can help you cool your body! It
raises your internal temperature to match the temperature outside. When your blood
circulation increases, you will start to sweat and once the moisture from sweating evaporated,
your body will start to cool off. The evaporation of sweat removes heat from your body. So as
long as you stay hydrated while eating spicy food, the perspiration will help your body cool itself
rapidly and more efficiently.
10. It reduces blood sugar level
If you are diabetic, green chili is your bestfriend! It contains high fiber which helps our body
control blood sugar level. Moreover, it can also decrease blood pressure and inflammation and
it can slow our body’s absorption of sugar. Green chili is a great stabilizer, it can foil sugar levels
from increasing in the body.
11. It promotes weight loss
If you’re looking for a healthier lifestyle and aiming to lose weight, you should include green chili
in your diet plan. Aside from its benefit of speeding up your metabolism, green pepper contains
thermogenic properties that burns off excess fat in your body. The capsaicin that is present in
green chili increases our body’s oxygen consumption, which leads to an upsurge in calories
being burned. Capsaicin toppled with proper exercise will surely burn that fat away!
12. It helps cure common cold
 Capsaicin, the primary component of green chili, can cure common cold or sinus infections.
According to Arora (2017), green chili has a stimulating outcome on the mucus membranes of
the nose and sinuses. It stimulates blood flow through the membranes and causes mucus
emission to become thinner. This prevents mucus from building up in our air openings. Thus,
mucus can drain from our noses quickly. This is very beneficial in fighting cold or sinus infections.
13. It is rich in iron
Green chili is rich in iron. It can surely help you fight anemia. According to tarladalal.com (2019),
green chili’s iron component can slowly help you to build your hemoglobin count. An increased
amount of hemoglobin can better help you fight fatigue and weakness. Hemoglobin is a protein
in our red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of our body. It also
promotes the production of myoglobin, a protein that delivers oxygen to muscles. Moreover,
your body also needs iron to make some hormones that act on different processes of our body.
14. It may help prevent osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a kind of bone disease that makes your bone brittle and weak. Interestingly,
green chili has the essential component to combat osteoporosis. Tian C (2019) cited that green
chili is rich in Vitamin K, which is known to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Moreover, the
capsaicin that is found in green chili can help reduce the inflammation of joints.
15. It may help prevent cancer
Green chili contains essential components that help us fight cancer. According to Ratinini (2010),
based on initial observations, capsaicin appears to kill cells linked to more than 40 types of
cancer. The spicy chemical alter how some genes connected to cancer cells act and even halts
them from growing. However, she maintained that more studies and observations are needed.

Source/s:

https://food.ndtv.com/health/12-unbelievable-health-benefits-of-green-chillies-zero-calories-but-
packed-with-vitamins-1443343

https://www.kohinoorfoods.co.uk/10-health-benefits-of-green-chillies/

https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/magazine-benefits-of-green-chilli-know-the-reasons-to-add-it-in-
your-diet/

https://www.healthshots.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/benefits-of-green-chilli-heres-how-it-can-cause-
weight-loss-and-prevent-diabetes/

https://www.tarladalal.com/article-benefits-of-green-chilli-341

https://www.livestrong.com/article/278259-benefits-of-green-chili/