Know Your Remedy: Capsicum Annuum (Caps.)

Capsicum Annuum, commonly called red pepper, is an annual herbaceous plant grown in warmer parts of the world for its edible oblong fruit. The homoeopathic remedy, Capsicum (Caps.), is prepared from this fruit and its seeds.

Capsicum suits people with a heavy build who are prone to nostalgia, sadness, depression, and
conditions that affect the mucous membranes.

Common Uses

When the remedy matches the symptom profile, Capsicum has the ability to treat conditions such as alcoholism, colitis, cough, depression, gastritis, haemorrhoids, low back pain, obesity, and urethritis.

From the Old Masters

Lippe says:

MIND AND DISPOSITION
Peevish, easily offended.
Home-sickness, with redness of the cheeks and sleeplessness.

GENERALITIES
Aversion to exercise.
Phlegmatic temperament, and relaxed fibres.

CONDITIONS
Stiffness and painfulness of all the joints when beginning to move.
Cracking of all the joints, (finger joints, knee).
Most complaints are aggravated from eating and drinking ; are most severe on beginning to exercise ; and are relieved or ameliorated by continued exercise.

Hering says:

MIND
Children become clumsy, awkward ; especially with headache.
Taciturn and obstinate.
Haunted by a disposition to suicide.
Homesickness ; with red cheeks and sleeplessness ; with hot feeling in feeling in fauces.
Melancholy or hypochondriasis.
Peevish, irritable, angry ; easily offended.
Awakens with fright, screams, and remains full of fear.
After emotions, fever, with red cheeks.

SENSATIONS
Violent pains at various places ; now here, now there ; neuralgia of children.
Superficial drawing pains in different parts of the body.
Burning, smarting sensations.
Sensations as if parts would go to sleep.

TISSUES
Relaxed fibre ; obesity.
Glandular swellings.
Joints : crack ; stiff, painful on beginning to move ; pain, as if paralyzed.

STAGES AND STATES
Light hair, blue eyes.
Nervous, but full habit.
Phlegmatic : awkward, easily offended ; indolent, melancholic ; lack of reaction.
Lazy, fat, unclean, dreads the open air.
Children who are always chilly, refractory, clumsy.
Less frequently indicated in persons of tense fibre.
Hemorrhoidal constitutions.
Gouty.

Nash says:

Burning pains, especially in mucous membranes, or smarting, as from red pepper, on the parts.
Cough with pains in distant parts as head, bladder, knees, legs, etc.
Chill or shuddering after every drink; begins between the shoulders and spreads all over.

Important

While above self-limiting or acute complaints are suitable for home treatment, see your healthcare provider if symptoms worsen or fail to improve. Chronic or persistent complaints, which may or may not be mentioned above, require a different treatment and dosage protocol so are best managed by a qualified homeopath for good results.

More Information

Guidelines on which potency to use

Sources:

Textbook of Materia Medica by Adolph Lippe M.D. 1886 Publishers: AJ.Tafel
Constantine Hering. 1877. Condensed Materia Medica. Publishers: Boericke and Tafel
E. B. NASH. 1899 Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics. Publishers: Boericke and Tafel