Hot peppers have been used for cooking and medical purposes for ages, and the serrano pepper is one of them.
Not only does it share the characteristics of the desired spiciness in many popular dishes, similar to cayenne pepper, but the serrano pepper can actually generate relief for sore muscles, arthritic patients, those who have heart problems, boost the immune system and, oddly enough, help cool you down on a hot day. So what allows these serrano pepper benefits to take place? Let’s take a look.
Like most peppers, the serrano is the fruit from a plant species called Capsicum annuum and closely related to Capisicum frutescens, which is where the peppers for the tabasco sauce comes from, and C. chinense, which is where the super-heated habanero, also known as Scotch bonnet chili, comes from. Like tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant, peppers are a part of the nightshade vegetables family.
The serrano pepper looks a lot like the jalapeño, but if you think the jalapeño is hot, just wait until you get the kick from the serrano. Although not as hot as a Carolina Reaper (>1,500,000…now, that’s HOT!), this type of pepper ranks between 5,000 and 25,000 on the Scoville heat index, also known as the hot pepper scale, which is a measurement used to rank the pungent heat of chili peppers. The scale is named after the man who created it, Wilbur Scoville.
To put things in perspective, just how hot is the serrano as compared to other peppers? The level of heat is directly affected by the genetic ancestry of the plant as well as its environmental surroundings. And while the serrano pepper is not the hottest pepper out there, the Scoville scale puts it about midway down the list as you can see here:
- Bell Pepper 0
- Anaheim 500–1,000
- Pasilla 1,000–1500
- Jalapeño 2,500–5,000
- Serrano 5,000–15,000
- Yellow Wax 5,000–15,000
- Cayenne 30,000–50,000
- Chile Pequin 30,000–50,000
- Chipotle (dried) 50,000–100,000
- Habanero 100,000–300,000
The serrano pepper is a green color, ripening to red, brown, orange or yellow. It’s about two inches in length, but don’t let the small ones fool you. The smaller the serrano, the hotter. Another thing to note is that dried peppers can be much hotter than fresh ones.
Health Benefits
1. Immune System Booster
The orange has long held the reputation for providing the most vitamin C, but the serrano pepper may have that orange beat as a vitamin C food. Getting enough vitamin C is important to the immune system and tissue repair caused from inflammation.
According to research from 2015, the serrano pepper is among the types of peppers that help boost the immune system due to the high-antioxidant levels. In particular, the carotene is beneficial against all types of disease, including chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.
2. Improves Heart Health
The heat-stimulating capsaicin found in chili peppers like the serrano has been found to help lower cholesterol levels because it’s able to reduce the accumulation of cholesterol in the body while helping the body detox through the excretion in the feces. The peppers can also prevent arteries from contracting, which can restrict blood flow to the heart.
3. Relief for Arthritis and Sore Muscles
Capsaicin is what produces the heat in chili peppers. When applied topically as a cream, gel or patch, the capsaicin provides relief by depleting substance P, which is a neurotransmitter that sends pain-related messages to the brain.
Capsaicin may reduce pain from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. A 2010 German study showed that joint pain decreased by about 50 percent in patients who used capsaicin cream, which can be obtained from serrano peppers. Initially, it may cause a little burning or stinging as substance P is released and eventually depleted, but with regular use, the substance P does not build up again and the burning sensation should not occur.
4. May Relieve Shingles
Shingles can cause a lot of discomfort, and almost one out of every three people contract shingles at some point in his or her life. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved capsaicin for relieving pain of shingles (Herpes zoster).
The elimination of substance P, which I noted above, is key to the much-needed relief form shingles because it helps reduce the pain associated effects and shingles symptoms. Like cayenne pepper, the capsaicin compound found in serrano pepper helps release and eliminate substance P.
5. Cools You Down
If you wonder just what makes the chili hot, it’s the capsaicin it contains. Capsaicin is an active compound that actually helps our bodies adapt to hot climates by lowering body temperature. Have you seen someone sweat profusely in the face after eating a pepper? That actually has a name. It is called gustatory facial sweating.
The capsaicin compound in the pepper is doing its job by inducing a natural cooling method. It does this by sending messages to the brain that an intense warmth is occurring and the body needs protection.
So, how does this help you adapt to hot outside temperatures? When you sweat, you’re cooling the body. Since the peppers induce sweat, they have been commonly used for years in places like Central and South America, India, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean to cool down faster on a hot day.
Final Thoughts
Serrano peppers are wonderful additions to dressings, burgers, salads and guacamole, to name a few options. The health benefits are vast, from boosting your immune system, aiding in a healthy heart and even helping reduce the pain associated with arthritis.
Consider trying it in some recipes and in moderation to start, but be careful, as the heat can cause issues for those sensitive to spicy foods or who have allergies. But if you can handle the heat, the health benefits are totally worth it.
Source: Dr. Axe, edited