CAPSICUM, a genus of plants of the or der Solanacecr, consisting of annual or biennial plants, bearing membranous pods containing several seeds, noted for their hot, pungent qualities. C. annuum, a native of South Amer ica, furnishes the fruits known as chillies. These, as well as the fruits of C. frutescens and other species, are used to form cayenne pepper. For this purpose the ripe fruits are dried in the sun or in an oven, and then ground to powder, which is mixed with a large quan tity of wheat flour. The mixed powder is then turned into cakes with leaven; these are baked till they become as hard as biscuit, and are then ground and sifted. Cayenne pepper is largely adulterated with red lead and other substances. C. fructus is the dried ripe fruit of C. fartigia tum, imported from Zanzibar. It is a small, oblong, scarlet, membranous pod, divided in ternally into two or three cells containing numerous flat, white, reniform seeds. It has no odor; its taste is hot and acrid. C. baccatuns, or bird pepper, is a perennial in tropical lati tudes. C. grossum has a large, long, ovate fruit, known as bell pepper, and is used either ripe or unripe, except for cayenne pepper, when the dried ripe fruit is employed Capsicum fruits are used medicinally, in powder or as a tincture, externally, or as a gargle in cases of malignant sore throat, and internally as a stim ulant in cases'of impaired digestion.
By reason of the resin-like body, capsicin, which is contained in the fruits of these plants, they possess very active irritant properties. The pure crystals of capsicin are extremely virulent, and readily cause severe poisoning; but the ground fruit is less active, and is of service in medicine, both for external and internal medica tion.
Externally, capsicum is used as an irritant to cause redness of the skin or to blister, thus affecting related visceral areas within the body. It is thus employed in bronchitis, in early stages of pneumonia, in pleurisies, and in joint and nerve affections. Internally, capsicum is used to stimulate the appetite and to increase the amounts of gastric and intestinal juices. It is particularly serviceable in the gastritis of alco holism. All capsicum should be excluded from the diet of patients with disease of the kidneys or acute disease of the genitourinary system. See PEPPER.