MORE than you want to know about Pepper Spray!
Notes based on my experience...
Pepper spray goes weak and bad in a matter of months, even if not used at all... Not all 15% is equal in power, nor any other percentage.
The strongest most formidable "spray" I've ever found; is a small nalgene wide-mouth bottle, with a quick screw-on cap FILLED with the strongest Cayenne pepper dust available, special order, from a health food store. I then, carefully, OUTSIDE... with mask and gloves and disposable coveralls, fill several large nalgene bottles to the 3/4 mark with the powder and then add Grain Alcohol from the liquor store to the top of the bottle. This allows the pepper to be handleable as the dust is just too dangerous. I then make condiment labels on my computer to label my carry bottle as a hot pepper sauce -- for MY protection in areas that don't allow pepper sauce to be carried for personal protection. The large bottles I store in the freezer where I've seen no deterioration for several years. And, this stuff is pretty inexpensive. Just be very careful adding to foods as one drop can be too much for a large pot of stew!!!!
MORE DATA:
Cayenne, Capsicum, Capsaicin aka the defensive red pepper!
Cayenne [capsicum annum] is derived from the Greek word capsicum, meaning, “to biteâ€. The capsicum plant is a small spreading shrub that originated in South and Central Americas and is easily cultivated in the West Indies and is now widely grown and harvested throughout the world, including the United States.
Cayenne’s Medicinal Uses: “Cayenne, also know as red pepper, is both an herb and a spice obtained from the dried, ground fruit of various hot red chili peppers [capsicum frutescens], that contain the compound capsaicin, which reduces pain and inflammation, probably by blocking the activity in the body of substance P, a compound needed for transmitting pain impulses.†“The Complete Guide to Natural Healing†(Natural Health, Tom Monte).
Capsaicin comprises about 12% of the pepper and was isolated by chemists more than a century ago. It should be noted that capsaicin is derived from capsicum. While both are very potent, capsaicin is the strongest derivative of cayenne and is usually found in very small amounts. It is also one of the main ingredients in self-defense sprays.
Next to ginger, cayenne is the next best thing for digestion. Spicy foods contribute to heartburn, yet the most taste bud-puckering pepper out there will get rid of it. Cooked cayenne pepper will irritate your digestive tract and possibly cause ulcers.
The dried, uncooked and POWDERED herb is always used for purposes of healing. Drying the cayenne pepper cures the acids thereby eliminating any caustic effects. Cayenne is a stimulant and an antiseptic that contains a large amount of Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Regulating the flow of blood, cayenne strengthens the heart, arteries, and nerves. If you feel a cold coming on, take cayenne pepper to ward it off. The heating properties of cayenne will stimulate circulation increasing the ability to sweat it out.
Cayenne pepper is sold in health food stores in gelatin capsules or bagged as a loose powder. It is highly recommended that you take cayenne pepper capsules AFTER a meal, especially in the morning.
As Vitamin E is available in I.U.’s [International Units}, and cayenne is available in H.U.’s [Heat Units]. Cayenne’s lowest grade is 40 H.U. (Heat Units). The middle range is double that, and the high end is called African Bird Pepper and is rated from 180 H.U. up to 200,000 H.U.! Taking high-ranked dosages of cayenne isn’t going for the Gold in the Olympics – it’s not higher, stronger, faster that makes this herb better. So that’s why you always need to start off with the smallest dose and then work your way up from there if necessary.
Cayenne also acts as a carrier herb in that when mixed with other herbs it helps them speed them through your system.
Cayenne pepper, always in the powdered form, can be used externally for wounds and cuts. Upon application there is a slight sting, but it’s the cleansing action that’s immediately taking effect. (The Grain Alcohol, from the liquor store does no harm here either, and allows the Pepper Sauce to be used for health uses too.)
For someone who is in a state of shock, a tiny pinch applied directly onto his or her tongue will assist the person. What cayenne does is get the circulation revved up as it restores the out of whack equilibrium that gets messed up in a shocking situation.
Another external use for cayenne would be for sinus congestion. Instead of taking an expensive over the counter cold medicine, just add a pinch of cayenne to a glass of water and gently sniff it up each nostril. This will get rid of congestion in most cases and clean away the infection.
This bright orange red herb is known to heal gum infections and eliminate the pain of abscesses. Dip your wet toothbrush into some cayenne pepper or else add a pinch of it atop the toothpaste. Rinsing with cayenne will also benefit your gums and if you gargle with it you will have a strong throat.
Cayenne pepper builds the blood as it’s assimilated into the body as well, if not better, than iron.
Culinary Cayenne: In some Southeast Asian countries, cayenne peppers are consumed daily. Another way of rating chilies amongst the growers is a heat scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the hottest. Topping the list is the Habanera, the hottest chili with that 10 rating. Used in the Caribbean barbeque as an intense flavoring for the jerk sauces, it’s also bottled into salsa.
Cayenne is also one very hot chili that invigorates many Cajun and stir-fry dishes. It is rated an 8 on the heat scale. Jalapenos are only a level 5 on the heat scale. Famous around the culinary world, jalapenos are often found as a topping for nachos and make a great salsa and salad ingredient. Tabasco chilies are definitely hot with an 8 rating and are also the main source for the famous hot sauce that carries their name. The name Yellow Wax usually means a chili that isn’t all that hot. However, it can be rated as high as an 8. Some varieties are virtually heatless. Mostly used in the form of pickled chilies, salsas and chopped up in salads. The above from
http://ut.essortment.com/cayennecuring_rnsj.htm
And now from Fox regarding Fox Police Grade Self Defense Pepper Sprays: as written on
http://www.securityplanet.com/fx012.htm
Fox Pepper Spray is the Hottest in the World!! - 5.3 Million SHU!! Developed for law enforcement – AND, Now available to the public!
What is a SHU?: The Scoville Heat Unit is a rating system to determine the "hot" in OC pepper. Back in 1912, a pharmacologist named Wilbur Scoville came up with the standard for measuring the power of capsaicin. Scoville measured the ground pepper into a mixture of sugar, water and alcohol. Then, a panel of five tasters sipped the mixture and gave it a grade; it took a majority of three to assign a value.
The pepper scale ranges from zero Scoville unit for a bell pepper to 5,000 or so for a jalapeno to a whopping 200,000 - 300,000 for a habanero! Pure capsaicin is 15,000,000. The oleoresin capsicum used in our formulas are derived from the hottest peppers and further processed and refined until the heat rating is 5,300,000 (5.3 million!).
Law Enforcement from Fox® surpasses all other OC pepper for effectiveness with it's incredible 5.3 million rating on the SHU @ only a 2% solution. The 2% solution is extremely important in that developing a spray for law enforcement, Fox wanted a spray that would be near paralyzing in it's effect but would allow for a minimum recovery time.
Where a 15% solution will usually allow 1-1/2 to 2 hours for full recovery, a 2% solution will enable the individual to recover fully after only 15-30 minutes.
As a side benefit, a thinner solution allowed for better and much faster penetration of the pores and mucus membranes. On one of our own field tests, one of our employees shot the spray up into the air, held their breath and closed their eyes allowing the blast to blow right through and past their head area. Within 1 second they we're fully immobilized and could not see for clearly not open their eyes for 15 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, they were fine. Incredible!!
Here is another source for Fox Pepper Spray;
http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/pepperinfo.htm
My decision is to carry a nalgene bottle, 4 oz. for all sorts of uses and buy small quantities of Fox Spray, as it goes somewhat weak, after about 6-10 months. I have stopped using the very small keychain units as they proved to me that quantity does count so I use the larger units now with a couple of more ounces of liquid in them...
Take care!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jody
