**3.3 Pharmacy**

Indonesia is rich in spices and herbs, and the locals have been utilizing them as traditional medicine for years. This tradition has been developed, as the active ingredients from traditional medicine are processed into more convenient products with the same function and characteristics. Plasters/patches, cream, balm, and oil with pungent and mint sensations have been used daily for muscle pain, headache, stomachache, and reducing the pain of toothache. The applications of those products from *Capsicum* are verily nurtured in Indonesian culture.

Capsaicin, responsible for pungent taste in *Capsicum*, also plays a role in the hot sensation in the skin. This hot sensation is utilized in the pharmacy industry as

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*Diversity and Potency of* Capsicum *spp. Grown in Indonesia*

Koyo cabai*, the* Capsicum *hot medicated plaster in Indonesia.*

a muscle pain reliever by adding plaster fabric, cream, or gel, together with other supporting ingredients. Besides that, capsaicin cream is useful for chronic soft tissue pain and chronic back pain. It gives beneficial effects as first-line therapy of

*Koyo cabai* or *Capsicum* Hot Medicated Plaster is one of medicated plasters in Indonesia. It is usually used for the treatment to relieve muscle pain or reduce the pain of toothache. *Koyo cabai*, at first imported from a Deutsch company, had been used in Indonesia since 1970. However, in 1983, a local company started to produce *koyo cabai* [68]. The plaster was made from high concentration *cabai* extract mixed with rubber as sticking agent and other ingredients. The sticky mixture then applied and pressed to the plaster fabric layer. The layer was cut and packed. *Koyo cabai* as a famous *Capsicum* Medicated Plaster in Indonesia can be seen in **Figure 14**. One

Similar to *koyo cabai*, *cabai* cream or *krim cabai* and *cabai* balm or *balsam cabai* in Indonesia are mainly utilized to relieve muscle pain and headache. It is a common thing that people in Indonesia keep muscle pain-relieving cream or balm as a first aid medicine in their homes or travel kits. *Cabai* cream may contain 1.66% *cabai*

Ideally, ornamental *cabai* has bonsai-like quality that is short in height (dwarf) and produces quite a number of fruits with various colors [70]. *Capsicum* species, especially *C. chinense* and *C. pubescens*, are attractive to be used as ornamental plants. *C. chinense* has various fruit shapes that look like a combination of tomato and starfruit and different bright colors during maturation, while *C. pubescens* has

From the ornamental plants *C. annuum* L., the variety is called "Ayesha IPB" [70]. The plant relatively early blossoms in 13–16 days after planting and can be harvested in 65–70 days after planting. The average plant height is 25 cm with 46–53 cm of canopy width, and the leaves of canopy are nicely clustered. The fruits have round tips, and they would turn from yellow green (immature stage) to orange (intermediate) and orange red (mature stage). The other variety is called

oleoresin; meanwhile, *cabai* balm may contain 0.56% *cabai* oleoresin.

of *Capsicum* extract [69].

osteoarthritis pain and decreases post-surgical neuropathic pain [65–67].

Capsaicin Medicated Plaster may contain 0.37 mg/cm2

purplish fruits and is combined with erect flowers [71].

*3.3.2 Cabai cream and cabai balm*

**3.4 Plant ornaments**

**Figure 14.**

*3.3.1 Koyo cabai or capsicum transdermal patch/capsicum hot medicated plaster*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92991*

*Diversity and Potency of* Capsicum *spp. Grown in Indonesia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92991*

Capsicum

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and the body [64].

*Capsicum chocolate bars.*

**3.3 Pharmacy**

**Figure 13.**

**Figure 12.**

*Sugary sweetened Capsicum (*Manisan cabai*) .*

*3.2.3 Kopi cabai rawit/*Capsicum frutescens *coffee*

*Kopi cabai rawit* is a mixture of coffee, milk, ginger, and *cabai rawit* (*C. frutescens*). This beverage can be found in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. This coffee has a unique taste from the bitterness of caffeine, pungency from ginger, and spiciness from *cabai rawit.* After drinking the coffee, people felt a warmth sensation towards the throat

Indonesia is rich in spices and herbs, and the locals have been utilizing them as traditional medicine for years. This tradition has been developed, as the active ingredients from traditional medicine are processed into more convenient products with the same function and characteristics. Plasters/patches, cream, balm, and oil with pungent and mint sensations have been used daily for muscle pain, headache, stomachache, and reducing the pain of toothache. The applications of those prod-

Capsaicin, responsible for pungent taste in *Capsicum*, also plays a role in the hot sensation in the skin. This hot sensation is utilized in the pharmacy industry as

ucts from *Capsicum* are verily nurtured in Indonesian culture.

**Figure 14.** Koyo cabai*, the* Capsicum *hot medicated plaster in Indonesia.*

a muscle pain reliever by adding plaster fabric, cream, or gel, together with other supporting ingredients. Besides that, capsaicin cream is useful for chronic soft tissue pain and chronic back pain. It gives beneficial effects as first-line therapy of osteoarthritis pain and decreases post-surgical neuropathic pain [65–67].
