**7. Applications**

Medicinal herbs are essential natural medicines for various illnesses [111–114]. Higher plant natural products have the potential to provide a new reservoir of therapeutic medicines with unique modes of action [114–116]. Peppers were shown to have elevated amounts of vitamins C and E and provitamin A, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds, all of which contribute to the plant's overall antioxidant activity and bioactive qualities [117, 118]. Capsaicinoids (vanillylamine) coupled to a branched-chain fatty acid are the most common phenolic compounds discovered in pepper fruits [117–119]. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, for example, are responsible for 90% of pepper pungency [120]. The pungency of *Capsicum* varies depending on the species and cultivar. The concentrations of these chemicals can range from 0 mg/ 100 g in non-pungent cultivars to 664 mg/100 g in pungent cultivars [121]. *Capsicum spp*. also includes the capsinoids capsiate and dihydrocapsiate, two non-pungent analogs of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, respectively [119]. Flavonol and flavone glycosides, as well as hydroxycinnamic acids, are other phenolic chemicals [119]. *Capsicum spp.* has many health advantages, and consumption of Capsicum is a part of a regular diet of diverse people of different ethnicities worldwide [119].

Due to bioactive chemicals, pepper (*C. annum* L.) has been reported to heal various degenerative human ailments [122, 123]. Bell peppers (sometimes called sweet peppers or peppers) are high in phenolic components such as quercetin, luteolin, and capsaicinoids [111, 124–126]. These phenolic chemicals protect against cancer, diabetes, oxidative stress, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative illnesses, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's [111, 123, 124].

*Capsicum spp.* are native to Mexico and Central America and have been utilized in traditional medicinal practices by Aztecs and Mayans from pre-Hispanic times [123]. The most notable is the indigenous medicine man Martin de la Cruz's Libellus de *Medicinabilus Indorum* Herbtis (Little Book of the Indians' Medicinal Herbs) [127]. *Capsicum spp*. were reported to have approximately 32 different health-related uses by the indigenous Mayan inhabitants of Mesoamerica at the turn of the twentieth century, including treatment for arthritis, rheumatism, stomach aches, skin rashes, and relief from dog and snake bites [128]. *On* the other hand, *Capsicum* fruits are not just used in Latin America; their medical benefits, as well as their use and production, have expanded worldwide [128]. As a result, *Capsicum* fruits are cited in the "Blue Beryll," a traditional Tibetan medical treatise, to improve the digestive warmth of the stomach and as a treatment for edema, hemorrhoids, parasitic protozoa, and leprosy [1, 128].

Furthermore, they are regarded as antispasmodic in Africa, disinfectants, antiirritants, and antitussive agents for the lungs [129]. *Capsicum* fruits are used topically

### *Genetics and Genomics of Capsicum: Valuable Resources for Capsicum Development DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110407*

for pain, neuropathy, cluster headaches, migraines, psoriasis, trigeminal neuralgia, and herpes zoster [129–131]. Dyspepsia, lack of appetite, flatulence, atherosclerosis, stroke, heart disease, and muscular tension have all been treated with it [132]. Today, a fifth of the world's population regularly consumes fresh or dried fruits as spices, food supplements, and additives [132].

Natural bioingredients are increasingly used in food for preservation, shelf life extension, and microbiological safety [111, 115]. Spices are used in a wide variety of meals due to the various phytochemicals they contain [111, 115]. Spices such as ginger, allspice, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, celery leaves, chives, and pepper are produced worldwide [111, 115]. Capsaicin, the main chemical ingredient in spicy peppers, has been shown to exhibit antibacterial action against Gram-negative and Gram-positive spoilage bacteria, as well as pathogenic bacteria [133].

Carotenoids are phytochemicals found in *Capsicum* that function as scavengers of singlet molecular oxygen, peroxyl radicals, and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and they protect cells and tissues from reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage [134]. Despite this, *Capsicum spp.* has a large amount of total antioxidant activity. It is linked not only to its vitamin and carotenoid levels but also to its phenolic composition [117, 118]. *C. annum, C. frutescens,* and *C. chinense*, the antioxidant ingredients (carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and ascorbic acid), rise in concentration along with the antioxidant activity measured *in vitro* as the fruit matures [135]. Furthermore, *Capsicum* has a more potent antioxidant activity than other veggies [135]. Capsaicin exhibits antioxidant properties similar to butylhydroxyanisole (BHA). It can protect human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from oxidation, as well as block copper ion-induced lipid peroxidation, and reduce the development of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) [136, 137].

Capsaicin has received much attention because of its ability to cause apoptosis in various cancer cell lines, including pancreatic, colonic, prostatic, liver, esophageal, bladder, skin, leukemia, lung, and endothelium cells, while leaving normal cells unaffected [138]. However, because cancer prevention and promotion have been advocated, its role in carcinogenesis remains contentious [139]. The promotor effect appears to be linked to high consumption of capsaicin in the diet [139]. In this regard, a meta-analysis from 2014 recommended that capsaicin use should be modest [140].

In several investigations, *Capsicum* has various effects on glucose metabolism *in vitro* and *in vivo* [123, 140, 141]. Selected pungent and non-pungent *Capsicum* cultivars have demonstrated significant antioxidant activity as well as a great inhibitory profile on carbohydrate-degrading enzymes like—glycosidase, which is linked to glucose absorption [123, 140, 141].

Eating hot *Capsicum spp*. may improve postprandial glucose, insulin, and energy metabolism [85]. Other research has discovered that *C. chinense* (habanero) has a stronger anti-amylase activity than anti-glucosidase activity [85].

The digestive stimulatory activity of hot *Capsicum* is thought to be linked to the stimulation of saliva and bile production, as well as pancreatic and small intestine digestive enzyme activities [140–142]. It also boosts saliva production and salivary amylase activity, which aid in the digestion of starch and mucous membrane development in the mouth, throat, and gastrointestinal system [140, 141]. Hot *Capsicum* has been shown in animal experiments to improve fat digestion and absorption in highfat-fed animals by stimulating the liver to release bile rich in bile acids [132].

Natural capsaicinoids from chili peppers have gotten much press as topical pain treatments [130, 131, 143, 144]. Capsaicin's unique ability has been used with lotions, ointments, and patches to treat a variety of pains, including neuropathic pain [130, 131, 145]. Chili peppers and their contents might be helpful and promising in preventing or treating insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity [123, 140].

When tested in animal models, capsaicinoids and other bioactive chemicals from *Capsicum* appear to have additional health benefits [123, 140]. Supplementing with capsaicin may enhance physical activities such as grid, strength, and endurance performance by boosting live glycogen content [123, 140]. In animal trials, it can also reduce several exercise-induced tiredness indices [146, 147]. The use of spicy chilies in a regular diet has been linked to improved iron levels in the population [123, 140, 146]. In hamsters fed diets containing capsaicinoids, the capsaicinoids may lower total plasma cholesterol, inhibit the development of atherosclerotic plaque, and relax the aorta artery via increasing fecal excretion of acidic sterols [123, 140, 146]. It may also have a positive vascular function and modify plasma lipids [123, 140, 146]. Capsaicin, taken orally or topically, lowers rheumatoid arthritis pain, inflammatory heat, and unpleasant chemical hyperalgesia, according to research examining several therapies for knee osteoarthritis in elderly individuals [123, 130, 140, 146]. Capsaicin is claimed to alter 5-lipoxygenase, a major enzyme involved in the manufacture of the inflammatory mediators' leukotrienes, in human polymorphonuclear leukocyte cells [140, 141, 146, 148].
