Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

CAPSICUM

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 292 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

CAPSICUM , a genus of See also:

plants, the fruits of which are used as peppers (see See also:CAYENNE See also:PEPPER for See also:botany, &c.). As used in See also:medicine, the ripe See also:fruit of the capsicum mimum (or frutescans), containing the active principle capsaicin (capsacutin), first isolated by Thresh in 1876, has remarkable physiological properties. Applied locally to the skin or mucous membrane, it causes redness and later vesication. Internally in small doses it stimulates gastric secretions and causes See also:dilatation of the vessels; but if used internally in excess for a See also:long See also:period it will cause subacute See also:gastritis. In single doses in excess it causes renal irritation and inflammation and strangury. The See also:administration of capsicum is valuable in atony of the See also:stomach due to chronic alcoholism, its hot stimulating effect not only increasing the appetite but to a certain degree satisfying the craving for See also:alcohol. It is also useful in the flatulency of the aged, where it prevents the development of See also:gas, and has a marked effect on anorexia. It has been used in functional torpidity of the See also:kidney. Externally capsicum See also:plaster placed over the affected muscles is useful in See also:rheumatism and See also:lumbago. Capsicum See also:wool, known as calorific wool, made by dissolving the oleoresin of capsicum in See also:ether and pouring it on to absorbent See also:cotton-wool, is useful in rheumatic affections.

End of Article: CAPSICUM

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
CAPRONNIER, JEAN BAPTISTE (1814-1891) 		[next]
CAPSTAN (also spelt in other forms, or as " capstoc...

Site © 2006 - Net Industries