Guy, I will speak on the subject of homeopathic uses for the chile and leave others to answer the rest of your of your questions. As to chile being a cure for your cold.... "In Hot Pursuits" by Amal Naj, there is quite a bit of interest in chiles for the treatment of breathing ailments. Dt. Irwin Zimet gained a lot of attention by noting that chile consumption has quite an increase in mucous production. Most of the common cough syrups on the market contain an ingredient called "guafenesein" (sp) which is a synthetic version of capsaicin. It is used to boost mucous production. Chiles are also loaded with Vitamins A & C in addition to bioflavinoids. Dried chiles loose some of the "C" but as a result gain in "A". The effect of Vitamin C on the common cold is well discussed elsewhere. Other uses for chiles include being a rubifacient which is a fancy term for causing increased circulation (reddening) to a localized site. Most arthritis creams on the market are now taking advantage of this, using capsaicin as an ingredient to help circulation and warming. Chiles are also known to increase fibrolytic activity which is another fancy term used to mean that they cause the blood to clot. Chile powder placed on a small cut is said to stop the bleeding almost immediately. Homeopathicaly chiles are also said to normalize blood pressure and are one of the most versatile treatments there are for a wide variety of ailments. Research is being done as to the ability of chiles to cure ulcers of all things by their ability to cause a thickening of the stomach lining and thus make it less susceptible to injury. Chiles also increase the bodys' metabolic rate. You will note that upon eating a Hab the first (okay second) thing you do is start sweating profusely and breathing fast. Your body has been cranked up a notch or two. Most of the natural weight loss formulas on the market take advantage of this by including hot pepper in their ingredients to help the body burn calories faster. Hot peppers are also being researched as an anesthetic. Repeated exposure to a site to capsaicin renders the site numb because of capsaicins' ability to attract and then destroy "substance P" which is the chemical nerve carrier the body uses to transmit pain signals to the brain. The fact the peppers can selectively destroy this carrier is the cause fo much interest in the medical community. I could go on a bit more but this is getting rather lengthy and I doubt that most people have read to this point anyway. I hope that this has at least answered part of your question. Jim Campbell Mild to Wild Pepper & Herb Co.