Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

Actually chillies ARE healthy, as demonstrated in various scientific studies protects and rebuilds the stomach linen. Count how many indians have ulcers and you will have the evidence. What is harmful is too much black pepper, you have to be careful with that.
http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/healing1.html
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/cayenne.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s341437.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16929238&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum
http://www.thechillifactory.com/main.php?p=Chilli%20Facts
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/ut1025spec

Too much of anything is unhealthy. How much is too much? Differs for different people. I like chillies, personally. It depends on your constitution.
I don't know if I would divide it on the Indian / non-Indian line. In India they use a lot. Their bodies are obviously suited to it.

once Dr Chauhan from India explained to me that chillies are in mode of passion (rajo guna) and the explanation devotees take it is rajo guna helps counteract tamo guna, ignorance in the form of sleep, illness, etc

well, maybe the question is:
How do I convince indian devotees that too many chillies are unhealthy? But the same could be said about sugar, sabji or anything right?

IF TAKE DRY RED CHILLIS,THATS REALY BAT.BUT IF TAKE JUST A ONE GREEN ON THATS ACTUALY VERY HALTHY FOR THE BLOOD EVEN FOR THE BRAIN.

all died, no response :)

Chillies are rajas. Too many chillies is passionate and not very good for brahmacaris.

I guess that when Eze says that chillies are unhealthy he is speaking about excess of chillies of course. Many of my Indian friends parents have stomach disorders for using chillies for a lifetime, so maybe they are not so "healthy". First thing doctor bans for them are their beloved chillies.
One chillie from time to time won't kill you of course, but many Indian's standard is "maaaany chillies in every single meal" from breakfast to dinner, includding snacks, drinks... I have been getting sick for more than one year, from 3 to 5 times a week and I never got used to chillies. Actually they became more and more harmful.
Maybe the point is to make them understand that chillies kill most of Western people!!!

yes i remember one day in juhu I saw some pasta in the restaurant and i said to myself, finally something nice. I took some, went to the table, had some of it and in my mouth i sensed something strange...it was a chillie.
Pasta with chillies...how healthy can that be.

hahahaha! I don't know about healthy, but that is definitely rasabhasa!

tell them to use cayenne instead. it is healthy (in moderation of course)

eze, you forgot to say that it was pasta with white sauce. much more unexpected like that!!!

Chillies are good for rheumotism disease as it gets the blood moving and cleanses the system.

Ekendra Prabhu, "tell them to use cayenne instead"? I wish it worked... My personal experience shows that telling Indian devotees to use less chilli in preps or substitute it with something else doesn't yeild any results :) I guess consuming lots of chilli is a kind of national sadhana that is not to be given up in any circumstances... One time, however, I performed an unimaginable feat of convincing Indian devotees serve chilli-less feast to a large Indian congregation in Indian temple! Of course it helped that the occasion was my marriage, and we sponsored the feast. Green chilli was served as a salad... :D

That was quite a feat!
but i guess for them it was something like bhima ekadasi.
no chillies is like fasting!