Chili peppers (Capsicum spp.): the spice not only for cuisine purposes: an update on current knowledge

Various herbs, plants and spices have been used for many decades as natural valuable remedies for prevention and/or treatment of diverse diseases and health problems. Chili peppers (Capsicum spp.), one of the oldest domesticated and utilized crops, are bestowed with a wide range of natural bioactive phytochemicals making the plant a very valuable spice with the health beneficial aspects. Carotenoids (apocarotenoids), ascorbic acid (and other vitamins), phenolic compounds, capsaicinoids and capsinoids belong to the main bioactive substances of nutritional and secondary metabolite composition of Capsicum fruits. Due to their presence, chili peppers possess various health-promoting functional attributes (such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, pain relief properties, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal benefits, antidiabetic and anti-obesity effects, antimicrobial and antifungal activities) which are summarized and characterized in the current review. Taking into account not only the pungency, color and aroma but also the medicinal potential, the enormous quantities of various Capsicum fruits have been consumed worldwide, particularly in China. Attributing to the existence of several cultivars showing significant intra-specific, as well as inter-specific chemical variability, there is still a growing number of scientific researches screening the chemical composition and exploring potential phytopharmacy (including antioxidant and antimicrobial activities) of chili peppers. Such observations provide a helpful insight into the ability of the various Capsicum cultivars as natural agents in the prevention of diverse, mainly free radical- and microbial-related human diseases.