Native Populations have used natural remedies with varying effectiveness to treat sickness and ailments for millennia. One of the more successful natural remedies used by the ancients was chili peppers. The health benefits of chili peppers are numerous and pound for pound they are some of the most nutritionally dense foods on earth. They have more vitamin C than oranges and and more vitamin A than carrots, and they pack a much bigger punch.
A touch of hot sauce can improve digestion in a few ways. First, capsicum, the stuff that makes chilies hot increases stomach acid secretions. Second, it also increases blood flow, yes this is due to the over stimulation because of the burn, but it also helps digest your food by literally turning up the temperature. And third, the mucous lining of your stomach is increases by the chillies. This mucous lining is also what protects your stomach from painful ulcers and, so contrary to popular belief, hot stuff should be eaten by people with weak stomaches, they should just start out light and work up to spicier food.
Spicy food also battles depression in a few simple ways. In the same way that running releases endorphins because of the small amount of stress that you are putting on the body hot food does the same. Sounds a little masochistic I know but people do stranger things for fun. Capsicum has also been found to be a good antiseptic and has been used for pain relief for centuries.
Hot sauce is also very effective at clearing respiratory passages during a cold or other infection. Try a spicy tea with honey and citrus for a very effective nasal congestion cleanser. Along with the previous benefits this can equal a powerful punch to a cold.
I am not going to go into depth here but recent studies have shown capsicum to be an effective agent in the fight against cancer. Look for more on this in the future.
Capsicum is also a natural antibacterial and in an age of super bugs and scrutiny of the medical establishment anything natural has a nice ring to it. Adding peppers to a salad could possibly ward of salmonella and other food born pathogens. This is certainly not a free for all to not wash your vegetables but every little bit counts.
Last but not least, spicy food can help you loose weight. It not only increases your natural metabolism by literally turning up the heat but it also suppresses your appetite. Combine these facts with the nutritionally dense qualities of different chillies and you have a great way to add some flavor to a healthy diet.