There’s a lot more to cayenne peppers than their spicy flavor. In fact, these small, bright red peppers are loaded with health benefits that have been used medicinally for millennia.
Cayenne peppers are native to Central and South America, and the oldest specimens were discovered in Mexico from seeds found on the floor of caves and in ancient fossilized feces. Based on these samples, scientists have concluded that people were eating cayenne peppers as far back as 7000 B.C. and that the peppers were first cultivated between 5200 B.C. and 3400 B.C., making capsicum peppers one of the oldest cultivated plants on earth.
