Chile!

Chile Facts and Myths 

Researchers are constantly discovering and rediscovering uses for chile other than the obvious culinary delights.  Among them:

 Color:

 Capsicum chiles in their non-pungent form, often called paprika, are used as the No. 1 food coloring agent in the US.  Chile-based coloring is also used in paints, cosmetics and clothing dyes

Zoos often feed flamingos chile so the birds will retain their distinctive pink color, which they lose when deprived of their natural food of calcium-rich crustaceans.  Without the dye in their diet, the birds turn white. Aquariums also feed chile to gold fish to help them keep their bright orange color.

 Repellent:

Chile has become a widespread alternative to tear gas and mace to repeal muggers and ornery bears.  Capsaicin also has been used to discourage rodents from chewing on electrical cable in Alaska and to keep pesky barnacles at bay when added to boat hull paint.

 Pain Relief:

Capsaicin, the ingredient in chile that makes it hot or pungent has been used very successfully for pain relief.  As a liniment (Heet, Sloan’s and some prescription creams) it is used for treatment of arthritis, shingles, contact allergies and phantom limb pain.  Rubbing some capsaicin cream on the temples also reportedly eases the pain of cluster headaches.

 Vitamins: 

The red color in chiles is beta carotene.  A half-tablespoon a day will give you your daily requirement of vitamin A.  One New Mexico long green chile pod contains six times as much vitamin C as one orange. 

From New Mexico Magazine