SC - Peppers?

[Stefan li Rous]

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa replied to me with:
> > And how would you use a pepper medcinally? "Here rub a little of this
> > around your eye or on your tongue, and you will forget that little
> > ache in your leg..."
> 
> How would you use a pepper medicinally? Well, ever used Tiger Balm Ultra?
> *grin* the principle is similar. It's known as a counterirritant-- the
> same principle as a mustard plaster. It's also used to combat infection,
> chronic pain, poor digestion, etc. by consuming food seasoned with cayenne
> or spicy tea with cayenne in it. 

Umm. Okay, I guess I was a bit unclear. What I really meant was what would
they have used capsicum pepper for medicinally in the SCA time period. I
know that concentrated capsicum is now used in burn treatment and such. But
I was wondering what they would have done with it. Making an assumption that
they used it for a medicinal purpose because we do, is not a good assumption
to make.

I've never used Tiger Balm or a mustard plaster. Is this last a plaster of
Paris type thing mixed with ground mustard seed?
 
> A modern folk remedy I use for really bad sinus headaches and fever'n'ague
> is a cup of Celestial Seasonings' Bengal spice tea, brewed with sage,
> mint, and a pinch of cayenne, and sweetened with honey. 

You mean take the regular tea and add sage, mint and cayenne to it, right?
The tea doesn't contain any of these to start with.

> After the first
> sip, you're sure your head will blow off. After half a cup, it feels like
> your head IS blowing off. At the end of the cup, you almost feel human.
> Combining this with rubbing Tiger Balm Ultra around the temples, on the
> cheekbones, and the neck glands is very effective for me.  

Sounds like the cure could be worse than the symptom. But at times I
have gotten terrible sinus headaches due to allergies, so I'll have to
keep this in mind. How much of these spices/herbs do you add to a cup?
Does this tea actually clear your sinuses or just ease the pain for
a while?

- -- 
THLord  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas         stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****