Chillies and… Anitbiotics?

[fastsandslash]

I read somewhere that chillies are a source of antibiotics, yet now I find no proof. Initially, I thought that the chillies’ spicyness was because of it’s healing properties, but apparently the spicyness has nothing to do with the antibodies. So, what is the truth on chillies, and is it worth eating one when you are sick?

[JackBean]

yeah, I’ve also heard, that Asian’s kitchen does not have to be so much hygienic, because the spice kills the bacteria.

And it’s true, that many even of ours spices has several silices and stuff which are bactericid.

[canalon]

It seems that if you are already sick it is too late. They are not good antibiotics, but they can inhibit growth of bacteria, to some extent, on food. Thus they are used to limit spoilage
But as you can see here, many spices are concerned, and not only those containing capsaicine:
http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Spices.html
And in table 3 it list some of those inhibitory components. In this other press release http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/19 … 053307.htm they discuss more about that, but without too much details, and from this press release, the "DUH" factor is quite high.
But this is the fruit of a short google search, I am sure that a deeper search starting from that will allow you to find much more about how spices are used to protect food.
And in the case of garlic, allicin is IIRC partly responsible for the spiciness.

[kolean]

In the first post, remember that antibiotic is not the same as antibodies.

[fastsandslash]

Duly noted Kolean. Hmm… interesting. This shall indeed be my next topic of interest. Maybe a small experiment? Yeah, maybe it is just the spicyness killing all the bacteria, thus "curing" our colds. Also the increased sweating and expelling of fluids may help us cleanse our bodies of bacteria. Still not worth the pain though.

[Author]

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