1. Aliases

Pepper, spicy eggplant, spicy tiger, preserved eggplant, sea pepper, spicy seed, and big pepper.
2. Plant morphology
Shrubs, or cultivated as annual, with a height of 50-80 centimeters. Single leaf alternate, petiole 4-7 cm long, leaf blade ovate lanceolate, 5-9.5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, entire, apex pointed, base gradually narrowing and extending downwards to the stem. The flowers are white or light yellow green, with 1-3 axillary flowers. The pedicels are drooping, the calyx is cup-shaped, with 5-7 shallow lobes, the corolla is broad, the lobes are 5-7, and there are 5 stamens. The ovary is superior and has 2 compartments. Berry drooping, long fingered, pointed and slightly curved at the top, with little juice, skin with gaps between placentas, and red color after ripening.
3. Origin distribution
Widely cultivated in various parts of our country.
4. Harvesting and processing
Harvest when the skin turns red in summer and autumn, remove the branches and stems, and dry in the sun.
5. Characteristics of medicinal herbs
Conical or quasi conical in shape, slightly curved. The surface is orange red, red or deep red, smooth or slightly wrinkled, oily, with a slightly rounded base. There are often green brown persistent sepals and fruit stalks with 5-lobed teeth. The fruit flesh is thin. The fruit is crispy in texture, with a visible placenta on the transverse section. It has a thin diaphragm that divides the fruit into 2-3 compartments, containing most of the seeds. Qi is unique, with a spicy and spicy taste.
6. Nature, taste, and meridian tropism
Hot in nature and spicy in taste. Guixin Meridian and Spleen Meridian.
7. Effect and function
Warm and dispelling cold, appetizing and digesting. Belonging to warm internal medicine.
8. Clinical applications
Pour into pills and powder, dosage 0.9-2.4 grams, external use: appropriate amount, boil in water, fumigate, wash or pound. Used to treat cold stagnation, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and chilblains.
9. Pharmacological research
It has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Effects on the digestive system: Oral administration of chili decoction promotes the healing of acute and chronic gastric mucosal damage caused by hydrochloric acid and acetic acid in rats; Oral administration of red dried chili powder capsules promotes ulcer healing in patients with gastric ulcers. Chili peppers can enhance the contraction movement of guinea pig gallbladder in vitro, and their effect can be weakened by indomethacin but not blocked by atropine. Effects on the cardiovascular system: Capsaicin can improve myocardial function in rats with reperfusion injury, inhibit creatine kinase release, and increase plasma concentration of calcitonin gene related peptides. Other effects: Capsaicin selectively depletes neuropeptide substances at the end of sensory nerves, reduces sensitivity to chemicals, and has a desensitizing effect on human and animal nasal mucosa. Capsaicin can treat unilateral nasal mucosa of guinea pigs, reduce ipsilateral secretion, completely block contralateral secretion response, eliminate nasal secretion caused by axonal and central reflexes, and reduce sensitivity of sensory nerves to nociceptive stimuli.
10. Chemical composition
Chili peppers contain capsaicin compounds, as well as various low - and high boiling volatile carboxyl compounds. In addition, they contain beta carotene, zeaxanthin, capsanthin, capsanthin, lutein, solanine, solanine, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, etc. The seeds contain solanine, solanine, 4-alpha-methyl-5-alpha-cholestero-8-ene-3-beta-alcohol-cyclohexanol, cyclohexanol, 24-methylene-cyclohexanol, and lupine alcohol.
11. Taboos for use
People with yin deficiency and excessive fire, as well as those suffering from cough and eye diseases, should avoid taking it.
12. Compatibility prescription
① Treating dysentery, accumulated water and diarrhea: 1 spicy eggplant. For the pill, wrap it in hot tofu skin in the morning and swallow it. (The "Supplement to the Compendium" is quoted from the "Compilation of Medical Schools")
② Freeze cure: Peel off the skin of the spicy eggplant and stick it on for quick healing. (Quoted by Cai Yunbai in "Compendium of Materia Medica")
③ Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: 20 chili peppers and 30 grams of Sichuan pepper. First, fry the Sichuan peppercorns in water, bring them to a boil, then add the chili peppers and cook until soft. Take them out and tear them open, apply them to the affected area, and then heat them with water. (National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicine)
The content of the article is for clinical reference only. Non professionals in traditional Chinese medicine are not allowed to try medication.