It’s five a.m. and if you are not rolling around you’re staring at the ceiling trying to get to sleep. You can’t you’re sniffling, sneezing, not breathing and you’ve given up hope of even getting a catnap in. The only thing you’re somewhat able to do, albeit difficultly, is rollover and grab a tissue. You can, however, manage to sneeze, snort, hack, cough and sniffle. Even the cat that has tentatively left you for the corner of your bed is beginning to dislike the uncouth noises emitting from your body. Yup, you’ve somehow contracted the common cold.

While it is not be easy to ditch a cold, a bit of capsaicin certainly can’t hurt. Chile peppers have been used for centuries to ease the symptoms of a flu. Dr. Irwin Ziment, a pulmonary specialist at the University of California Los Angeles, explained in the March 1992 issue of Health Magazine about the similarities of capsaicin to modern cold remedies. According to Ziment, “they trigger a sudden release of a wave of watery fluids in the mouth, throat and lungs. This helpful action actually begins in the mouth, throat, and stomach, where special sensory receptors send nerve impulses racing to the brain, which in turn tell glands lining the airways to start producing. Their secretions, like the chemical cysteine, also helps thin down the respiratory mucus, so it’s easier to cough up and expel.” Basically, said Ziment, peppers act as an expectorant – we like to call it mucolytics.

And how about that hacking cough your cat abandoned you for? Ziment says “You’d be better off with hot salsa than menthol cough drops. Menthol cough drops not only dry out your throat, but paralyze the cilia–the tiny hair-like projections all along the airways.” So it seems pretty obvious; what we need are cough drops that come in hot pepper flavors! Surprisingly capsaicin-laced lozenges do exist. We discovered Lofthouse’s Fisherman’s Friend Extra Strong Lozenges, which has a listed ingredient of capsicum (pepper extract! They are not super-hot, but you can definitely find some heat in them. In addition, they are sugar free. For a sore throat, some doctors prescribe a capsaicin-based throat spray which not only kills the pain but acts as an antiseptic.

While very few doctors trained in traditional Western medicinal therapies prescribe chili peppers first in their treatments, many people are convinced of the healing powers of peppers. Geologist Dr. J. Michael Queen is one of them. Queen, who specializes in caves, has used cayenne to treat a host of ailments since he was four years old. As a child he was severely asthmatic. His condition was so serious that his parents had two choices; put him into the hospital full-time, or move to a place with less pollen. They chose the latter and moved into a log cabin in the mountains east of Sonora, California. According to Queen, his family was introduced to cayenne by accident. Since there wasn’t a doctor close by, they came to rely on a Native American herbalist who lived across the road from their house. He said that “she would brew up remedies, and they would get better.” The herbalist used cayenne to treat cold sores, digestive problems, and skin problems.

Since his early experience with capsaicin, Queen says he chooses herbal treatments when appropriate. He drinks his cayenne remedy as a cure for strep throat, and within a few hours the white spots in his throat start to go away. And he has had great luck chasing away pesky colds with his cayenne cold remedy and tonic. “I’m sold on the medicinal effects of chili,” says Queen. However, he does warn to start with small amounts of cayenne if you are not used to chili peppers; 1/16th of a teaspoon is a good start. And conversely, feel free to use more if you are used to eating lots of peppers.