XI 
CAPSICUMS 
381 
other purpose. The pepper used that way was tasteless^ 
and seemed to contain a large amount of fatty matter. 
It was dark in colour, and the object was to whiten the 
colour of the feathers.” 
This pepper is supposed to be, and doubtless is, a 
variety of Capsicum annuum, and is not at all pungent, 
but has the pleasant capsicum flavour. It is chiefly, 
I believe, used for canary-birds, being accredited with 
giving the feathers a deeper and richer yellow. 
In country places it used to be the custom to give 
hens, especially during the winter, a teaspoonful of 
cayenne pepper at intervals when they were not laying 
eggs, as it was supposed to act as a stimulant to induce 
them to lay. 
In medicine it is chiefly used in the form of a gargle, 
and occasionally as a liniment, and internally to promote 
digestion. It is also made into a lozenge with sugar 
and tragacanth as a remedy for colds and hoarseness, 
and is thus used by public speakers and singers. It is 
used internally for gout, rheumatism, and dyspepsia, and 
is popular in India with asafoetida and sweet flag as a 
remedy for cholera. It is also valued highly in cases of 
delirium tremens. In the West Indies it is recommended 
in scarlatina, the fruit being bruised and macerated in 
boilinsf water with salt and vinegar added when cold. 
O ^ ^ 
In Brazil a decoction in water is used as an enema for 
children in constipation. 
The violent acridity of the fruit is caused by a 
substance known as Capsicin, a violent poison, the 
fumes of which when heated are extremely irritating to 
respiration. 
GENERAL NOTES 
Chilies and capsicums are cultivated all over the 
warmer regions of the world, and have a more extended 
area than any other spice. They grow well and readily 
in the hottest parts of the world, and in more temperate 
regions nearly up to the area of winter frosts. A very 
large proportion of the cultivated fruit is used locally 
