How Much Cayenne Pepper Should You Take Daily?
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How Much Cayenne Pepper Should You Take Daily?

How Much Cayenne Pepper Should You Take Daily?
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Kathleen Ferraro
Updated on August 6, 2025
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If you like spicy food, you may be a fan of cayenne peppers. These long red peppers are often ground into powder, which you can use as a spice for cooking or as an herbal supplement to support your health. But how much cayenne should you take daily?

First, it may help to understand these peppers' potential benefits. Fresh cayenne peppers are rich in nutrients, including vitamins C, A, B6, and K, according to Cleveland Clinic.

 While some of these nutrients are lost during processing, cayenne pepper powder is good for you too thanks to its high vitamin A content.

There are several potential benefits of fresh and powdered cayenne peppers cayenne powder, many of which come from capsaicin, the compound that gives the pepper its spicy taste.

 The following are some potential perks of cayenne, according to Cleveland Clinic:

  • It's anti-inflammatory.‌ There's evidence to suggest that capsaicin fights inflammation, which in turn may help prevent conditions like heart disease and high blood pressure.
  • ‌It may support weight loss.‌ The spicy capsaicin may help you feel fuller and burn more calories, which may contribute to weight loss.
  • ‌It contains antioxidants.‌ Cayenne pepper includes compounds that can help protect your cells from damage.
  • ‌It may support good digestion.‌ Cayenne can stimulate your stomach acid to improve digestion.
  • It may help ease pain and congestion. Applying a topical capsaicin cream may help alleviate pain, including arthritis pain. Eating cayenne (or other spicy peppers) may help ease congestion and headaches, too.

But how much cayenne pepper should you take per day to reap these benefits? Here, learn the recommended dose of cayenne pepper for different health concerns.

How Much Cayenne Pepper You Should Take Daily

When it comes to the best dosage of cayenne pepper per day, the answer isn't one-size-fits-all. Cayenne pepper dosage varies based on your spice tolerance, how you're using it, and the reason you're taking it. Speak with your healthcare provider to determine what dose may be best for you.

 That's especially important if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or have an underlying health condition.

In general, though, multiple studies suggest that a daily cayenne pepper dosage of 2 to 8 milligrams (mg) is safe.

Most importantly, listen to your body.

 If you experience pain when you eat these peppers, cut back until your dose of cayenne no longer causes side effects.

Side Effects of Too Much Cayenne Pepper

According to Cleveland Clinic, eating too much cayenne pepper can lead to side effects such as:

  • Stomach pain
  • Burning diarrhea
  • Chest pain
  • Vomiting
  • Headaches
But how much cayenne pepper is too much? According to a 2023 article in ‌StatPearls‌, it's best to avoid having more than 100 mg/kg of body weight for a prolonged period.

For example, that's an upper limit of 6,800 mg for a 150-pound person. And remember, listen to your body and stop eating spicy foods if you feel pain.

If you're taking aspirin or prescription drugs, including ACE-inhibitors, stomach acid reducers, blood-thinning medications, diabetes medications, or theophylline, talk to your doctor before trying the spice to determine if it’s safe to do so. 

Herbal supplements, including cayenne, may interfere with these medications or intensify their effects and side effects.

How Much Cayenne Pepper to Take for Heart Health

Because cayenne is anti-inflammatory, it may help prevent conditions like high blood pressure, according to Cleveland Clinic.

It may also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. One meta-analysis suggests people who ate chili peppers (like cayenne) at least once weekly were 11 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who rarely or never eat them.

 Those who regularly ate chili peppers were also 13 percent less likely to die of any cause during the study period.

The best cayenne pepper dosage for cardiovascular health remains unknown, and taking too much could do more harm than good.

So if you're looking to determine your ideal dosage for high blood pressure or healthy blood circulation, your best bet is to stick to the studied doses of 2 to 8 mg per day and, when in doubt, listen to your body's response to the spice. It's also a good idea to speak with a healthcare provider before adding more chilis to your diet, especially if you have existing health concerns.

How Much Cayenne Pepper to Take to Lose Weight

There is also some evidence to suggest that cayenne can help you maintain or lose weight. But just how much cayenne pepper you take per day for weight loss can vary.

One study of 15 young people without obesity found taking 2.56 mg of capsaicin with every meal decreased appetite and increased fullness.

 Another study of young people with obesity found taking 2 mg of capsaicin increased people's post-meal metabolic rates, though it didn't impact their hunger or satiety levels.

 And an older study in ‌Appetite‌ found that people with overweight who took 4 mg of a capsaicinoid per day for three months reported eating fewer calories.

 In the same study, people with overweight who took a smaller capsaicinoid dose of 2 mg per day for three months reduced their waist-to-hip ratio.

As you can see, there's no standard for how much cayenne pepper to use for weight loss. Again, listen to your body and start with a cayenne pepper dosage of around 2 to 9 mg per day.

How Much Cayenne Pepper to Take for Ulcers

Perhaps you've heard the rumor that spicy foods can cause ulcers. Well, this isn't true, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Spicy foods — including cayenne — can actually help prevent ulcers by stopping the growth of ulcer-causing bacteria like Helicobacter pylori.‌

 That said, if you already have ulcers, eating spicy foods can irritate them.

Once again, there's no set cayenne pepper dosage for ulcers. See how your body responds to 2 to 9 mg of cayenne per day, and stop eating the spice if it causes side effects.

The Takeaway

  • Cayenne has several potential health benefits, including reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, supporting weight loss efforts, and preventing ulcers.
  • There's no established recommended dose, but most people can safely take 2 to 8 mg daily.
  • Talk to your doctor before taking cayenne pepper if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medications such as blood thinners or aspirin, or have an existing health condition.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper. Cleveland Clinic. November 30, 2021.
  2. Capsicum. MedlinePlus. October 11, 2023.
  3. Pidgeon TS et al. Hand Fractures. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. May 2022.
  4. Szallasi A. Capsaicin for Weight Control: “Exercise in a Pill” (or Just Another Fad)? Pharmaceuticals. July 11, 2022.
  5. Chang A et al. Capsaicin. StatPearls. May 23, 2023.
  6. Cayenne
    .     Aspirus St. Luke's.
  7. Yang L et al. Chili Pepper Intake and All-Cause and Disease-Specific Mortality. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. January 18, 2022.
  8. Madalina Petran E et al. Capsaicin: Emerging Pharmacological and Therapeutic Insights. Current Issues in Molecular Biology . July 24, 2024.
  9. Urbina SL et al. Effects of Twelve Weeks of Capsaicinoid Supplementation on Body Composition, Appetite, and Self-Reported Caloric Intake in Overweight Individuals. Appetite. June 1, 2017.
  10. The Health Risks of Eating Extremely Spicy Foods. Cleveland Clinic. March 13, 2023.
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Kayli Anderson, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.

Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.

Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.

She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.

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