“Tinctura Capsici was generally prepared from Capsicum annuum (Cayenne Pepper) from the West indies and tropical America. As a medicine it was a powerful stimulant that upon swallowing produced a sense of heat in the stomach, a general glow over the body, without any narcotic effect. Applied externally, it is a powerful rubefacient (a counter-irritant producing redness and warmth), useful in local reumatism. However, its most important application is as a gargle for the treatment of malignant sore throat and scarlet fever."  Wood Dispensatory of the USA - 1836