People who love spicy food, whether they like it at a one or a ten, can appreciate the delicious thrill of biting into something that has been lovingly prepared featuring some nice cayenne pepper. Not only does the cayenne pepper bring a special bite to whatever dish you’re preparing, but it’s also got numerous household uses that people have known about for years. Here’s your opportunity to get the most out of your spice cabinet with five cayenne pepper hacks.
Repel Ants
Getting rid of ants can be a real pain, but it can be even harder and messier to simply kill the ants if they’re invading your home. There are many natural ant killers and repellants available, but one sure fire way to keep ants away from your home is to sprinkle it on the ground near your home. Something in their chemistry repels them from cayenne pepper, so keep a little extra on hand, come ant season.
Helping Small Cuts with Cayenne Pepper
If you have a relatively minor cut, you can sprinkle cayenne pepper onto the cut, which stops the blood flow and should help the wound start the healing process. Obviously, you should also make sure to keep the wound clean after that, but this is an especially helpful hack when there’s nothing useful in sight for stopping the blood flow on a small, fresh skin wound.
Help a Sore Throat
There are centuries of home remedies using a variety of herbs and spices that purport to treat the symptoms of the common cold. You’ll find mixed results, but you may eventually fall upon a preferred recipe that helps you out the most. One common way to calm your sore throat is to mix hot water, cayenne pepper, honey, ginger, and lemon juice and drink that mixture as you would a tea.
Clear Your Sinuses with Cayenne Pepper
Further up the sinuses, if you’re suffering from clogged sinuses due to a head cold, or allergies or some other cause of congestion, the easiest – and most pleasing way – to treat that congestion is to use cayenne pepper on your food. The results may present quickly, but the remedy is the most delicious and easiest to make.
Repel Squirrels
It isn’t just ants that can’t stand cayenne pepper. While you can’t shoo squirrels away with it, you can prevent them from eating birdseed by putting a little cayenne pepper in with it. It is purported to not bother the birds, while also keeping the birdseed hungry squirrels at bay, perhaps keeping them out of your yard in general, or at least directing them to a specialized squirrel feeder.
Summary
Who knew that cayenne pepper could just as easily be stored in your medicine cabinet as in your spice rack? Well, maybe you wouldn’t go that far, but next time the cayenne pepper is the closest thing and you’re looking for a natural treatment, reach out and try one of these cayenne pepper food hacks.