North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Pat Meadows <pat@containerseeds.com>]

On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 12:34:53 -0600, you wrote:

>Dear Bill,
>     That could well be as well.  In "Back to Eden" while most herbals
>get a paragraph or two, cayenne [red] pepper has about 7 pages extolling
>all of its virtues.  I haven't read all 7 pages yet, just know that it
>does work wonders and that it does deplete the neurotransmitter that
>relays pain signals from one neuron to the next.  Without that
>neurotransmitter, a pain message cannot go from one neuron to the next
>neuron.  And that is besides its antibacterial and antiviral
>characteristics.  Have a Good One!  Love, Peace and Perception
>

I've kept quiet about this until now:  it has some hazards
for at least some people, and in at least a few cases, they
can be serious.

For me, it causes an instant and serious asthmatic attack.
I'd probably die if I were sprayed with pepper gas (as, in
fact, some people have).  

We learned this when my husband was grilling pepperjack
cheese on a bagel in our toaster oven.  Since then, I've
experienced red pepper being grilled a few more times
(things he didn't realize contained red pepper):  same
result:  cannot breathe, and must instantly get outdoors,
away from it.  I had the same experience when I worked at a
university when someone set off pepper gas in their locker
as a 'prank'.  

Pat
-- 
NOW OPEN! ContainerSeeds.com - vegetable, herb,
and edible flower seeds especially selected for successful 
container growing - http://www.containerseeds.com