Hungarian Paprika Sweet Pepper - Heirloom 10 seeds

These early ripening plants produce heavy yields of slender, pointed, 4-inch crimson-red peppers. Once harvested, simply dry them and grind into sweet paprika spice powder that offers wonderful, rich, full-bodied flavor and is an excellent source of vitamin C. You’ll be pleased how easy and rewarding it is to grow your own.

Grown in Tennessee.

Paprika’s medicinal benefits are focused mainly around the fact that it comes from the ‘Capsicum annuum’ pepper plant family. This plant family is loaded with a very important chemical compound called Capsaicin.

Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers and cause their heat. Capsaicin has many health benefits that are found in paprika, along with other peppers in this family. The health benefits include:

Antibacterial: Paprika has antibacterial properties in it that help naturally control bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. It does not necessarily stop these bacteria, but it does slow down their growth.

Anti-inflammatory: The anti-inflammatory properties of capsaicin can help ease arthritis and joint pain. This is one of paprika’s strongest properties.

Antioxidant: Paprika is high in antioxidants because it is rich in vitamins A and E (see below). Antioxidants counteract or neutralize free radicals and their destructive effects on the body.

Relieves Pain: Capsaicin is an effective pain reliever when it is applied externally. There are many ointments and creams made with capsaicin to help with things like headaches, arthritis, and psoriasis.

Stimulant: Paprika’s capsaicin properties are a stimulant in many different ways. It stimulates the production of saliva and stomach acids, which thus improves digestion. It also stimulates the cardiovascular system and thus improves blood circulation and blood pressure.

In addition to Capsaicin, Paprika is also filled with the following nutrients:

Iron: 1 tablespoon of paprika has 9% of your recommended daily intake of iron (based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet)*. Iron helps carry oxygen through your body and helps with energy levels.

Vitamin A: Paprika has multiple chemical compounds in it that convert to vitamin A. 1 teaspoon of paprika has 37% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin A (based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet)*. Vitamin A supports cell growth, is an antioxidant, and plays many important roles throughout our bodies.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is essential to your health and your skin. 1 teaspoon of paprika has 5% of the daily intake of vitamin E recommended for your body*.

Vitamin B-6: 1 teaspoon of paprika has 4% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B-6*. Vitamin B-6 is part of a group of coenzymes that are responsible for creating glucose, producing hemoglobin, and reducing your chance of developing cardiovascular issues.

Vitamin C: Paprika is unusually highly loaded with vitamin C, an important nutrient for keeping our immune systems strong. It contains 6-9 times as much vitamin C as tomatoes, and it can be an important way to get Vitamin C in your daily diet.

It is possible that paprika might help prevent your body from getting certain cancers, but this is something that still needs much research done on the subject. In the meantime, it is safe to say that adding paprika to your diet is a wonderful thing due to the strong medicinal benefits.

Important note: It is very possible for the health benefits of paprika to become lost through incorrect processing. For example, capsaicin is very sensitive to how it is dried. Many commercially-dried peppers for paprika are exposed to high heat to dry quickly, and this often leaches away the essential vitamins and nutrients. The best way to get the medicinal benefits of paprika is from peppers dried naturally in the sun or on a low temperature in a dehydrator. Stay tuned for my post on how to grow and/or dry your own paprika, so that you can have confidence in the quality of your spice.