COPY of ORIGINAL LINK – SOURCE NO LONGER PRESENT ON
WEB.
Leslie's First Aid Kit: Capsaicin Candy Recipe Page
1 of 1
Leslie's First Aid Kit: Capsaicin Candy Recipe
Capsaicin the
substance that makes chile peppers hot, has been found to reduce pain in
arthritis patients when topically applied repeatedly over several is
weeks. Researchers have found that it
reduces substance P which is found at nerve endings and is involved in
transmitting pain signals to the brain.
Using this principle, researchers at Yale University
School of Medicine have devised a candy, composed of hot chili peppers and
taffy, to ease mouth pain in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Often
chemo causes painful mouth sores that are difficult to treat. The sugar in the candy inhibits the burn of
the capsacin in the mouth while the capsaicin provides pain relief.
The following recipe was adapted from the Joy of Cooking Cookbook.
Hot Pepper Candy Recipe:
· 1 cup sugar
· ¾ cup light corn syrup
· 2/3 cup water
· 1 tbs cornstarch
· 2 tbs butter or marg
· 1 tbs salt
· 2 tsp vanilla
· ½ tsp cayenne pepper
· 8x8x2 buttered pan
In 2 qt saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup, water, cornstarch, butter and
salt.
Over medium
heat, stirring constantly till hard ball stage (256F). Remove the pan from
heat. stir in vanilla and pepper
Pour candy
into buttered pan to cool. Don't scrape
the sides of the saucepan or your candy might crystallize.
When the
candy is cool enough to handle, butter your hands (important unless you like
having toffee stuck to you) and pull until satiny and stiff. Pull into long strips, cut into
1"pieces, and wrap with wax paper.
http/www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~lacarrol/hotpeper.html 5/27/00