Pepper does a lot more than spice up your salads and meat. The vitamin-rich spice, prized by ancients and moderns alike, has many health and household uses, too.
Pepper as Health Aid
1. Decongestant: Cayenne pepper warms the body and stimulates the release of mucus, which helps unclog nasal passages and lets you breathe easier. Get a DIY recipe here.
2. Constipation relief: Cayenne pepper makes you feel hot, which provokes you to drink more water, which loosens stools. Mix a teaspoon of cayenne into a glass of warm water. Or, just add cayenne to soups and stews, which will also give them a taste kick.
3. Cough remedy: Cayenne can help loosen chest phlegm and sooth throat irritation. “Herbally Yours,” by Penny C. Royal, gives this recipe: Combine ¼ teaspoon each of cayenne pepper and fresh ground ginger with 1 tablespoon each of honey and apple cider vinegar. Take one teaspoon at a time as needed.
4. Ear ache relief: Black pepper can soothe ear aches in adults. Spread ground black pepper on a flattened cotton ball. Roll the cotton back into a ball, and place it in the outer ear (not the inner ear).
5. Sore throat cure: To relieve sore throats, mix 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with 2 tablespoons of honey. Take a teaspoon of the mixture at a time.
Household Uses for Pepper
6. Insecticide: To get rid of garden gnats, mix 1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper with 2 tablespoons each of dish detergent and vegetable oil. Add the mixture to a gallon a water, and shake. Transfer to a spray bottle, and douse infested plants. Repeat after rain.
7. Plug radiator holes: Got a leaky radiator? Pour black pepper into your radiator to temporarily seal holes.
8. Deer repellent: Deer don’t like the stinging sensation of hot pepper and will learn to avoid plants sprayed with a cayenne/water solution. The stronger the better. Add a little liquid soap to the solution, which makes it adhere better to plants.
9. Squirrel repellent: Mix cayenne pepper with bird food. The birds don’t mind the taste, and the Vitamin C in pepper actually improves their foliage. Squirrels, on the other hand, hate pepper and will avoid your feeder.
10. Rodent repellent: To keep rodents from chewing on outside wires and cables, coat them with liquid pepper. Rodents will stay away in droves.
