Chili pepper (chilli, chilli pepper, chillie, chili, and chile) is the fruit of plants from Genus Capsicum. Americas was the origin of Chili peppers. Later chili pepper spread across the world and was used in both food and medicine.

Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet in the Americas since at least 7500 BC. One of the first Europeans to encounter them was Christopher Columbus and he called them “peppers” because they had a spicy hot taste unlike other foodstuffs.

Upon their introduction into Europe chilies were grown as botanical curiosities in the gardens of Spanish and Portuguese monasteries.

But the monks experimented with the chilies’ culinary potential and were happy to discovered that their pungency offered a substitute for black peppercorns. At that black peppers time were so costly that they were used as legal currency in some countries.

Eating chili is viewed as a warrior’s ritual in Japan because of its spiciness that gives individual fear and mental block. By forcing themselves to eat chili, warriors’ mental state gets stronger and may even feel invincible when stepping onto the battlefield.

Eating chili has been a popular practice among the karate athletes who use it to strengthen their minds and determination.

Capsaicin is a safe and effective in the management of arthritis pain, herpes zoster-related pain, diabetic neuropathy, post mastectomy pain, and headaches.

Capsaicin extracted from chillies is used as a non lethal irritant spray.