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How To Make Hot Pepper Cream For Joint And Back Pain

Today we filmed a short video guide on how to make your own hot pepper cream for joint and back pain.

The idea of rubbing chili peppers onto your skin may seem a little strange, but what if I told you that clinical trials have shown that 80% of arthritis sufferers see improvement in as little as two weeks? Capsaicin cream, or cream that contains the active ingredient in chili peppers, is a common treatment for arthritis and it’s surprisingly effective.  Capsaicin creams can be applied 4 times per day to keep the pain away throughout your waking hours.  The first few times you put it on there will be a mild burning sensation, but your skin should acclimate over time. Be careful not to apply it near mucous membranes, and always wear gloves.

Making a basic capsaicin cream for arthritis is the same as making any basic herbal salve.  The herb is first infused into a neutral carrier oil, and then it’s thickened with an emulsifying wax such as beeswax to make it easier to apply.  For a basic salve, use 1 cup of oil to 1/4 cup grated beeswax.  When grating beeswax, it’s hard to be precise in measuring, so if possible weigh out the beeswax ahead of time and use about 1 ounce of wax to 8 ounces of oil.

Salves are a great place to use up leftover beeswax from other projects, or even scraps dripped from beeswax candles.

Since a basic salve recipe only needs a small amount of wax, saving any candle drippings or scraping up hardened wax off your tools after making homemade candles is a great way to repurpose wax and save a bit of money.

Basic Capsaicin Cream Recipe

  • 8 Ounces Oil (*See Note)
  • 1 Ounce Bees Wax, grated
  • 3 Tablespoons Cayenne Powder

*Just about any neutral oil will work here. Since you’re going to use it topically, it’s best to choose an oil that will also be nourishing to your skin.  Good choices include olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, and grape seed oil.  Of those choices, grape seed is the most economical.  Coconut oil will also work but will result in a much thicker cream because it’s a solid at room temperature.  If using coconut oil, use slightly less beeswax.  Stay away from mixed vegetable, soy, or corn oils.

Tools: Heatproof bowl and pot to create a double boiler, spatula to stir, and a jar for storage

Place the oil, beeswax, and cayenne powder into a heatproof glass or metal bowl.  Place that bowl over a saucepan that contains about an inch of water to create a double boiler. The goal of a double boiler is to create a slow, gentle heat to melt the beeswax without cooking the mixture.  Bring the water in the pot to a simmer on low, and the steam from the simmering water will melt the wax in the bowl above.

Once the wax is melted, stir the cream together with a spatula and scrape it out into a jar.  If you want to adjust the amount of beeswax for a firmer or softer cream, you can test the cream’s texture by dropping a drop or two onto a cold plate.

For a stronger cream, you can infuse the cayenne into the oil ahead of time for a day or two.  If you want a whipped cream rather than a standard salve for application, place the double boiler bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes after melting, then whip.  Repeat several times until the cream is cold and then spoon into jars.

I find with solid salves you use and waste less than when applying whipped creams, but this is a matter of personal preference.  Feel free to adjust the amount of beeswax to adjust consistency. The amount of cayenne can also be adjusted up or down after trying out the cream to adjust strength. Be sure to use the cream for a week or so before adjusting up, but if it makes you feel more comfortable you can always start with less cayenne and adjust up.

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I will definitely try this to help with my joint pain.

Hi Lynelle,

I am really happy you found the video useful. Please let us know how it went :).

God bless!

I will try this for my arthritis

Hi John,

We are glad you found the video useful.

God bless!

I’ve made this for several years for arthritis and peripheral neuropathy. I add calendula and others herbs good for my skin to the mix. Since I keep mason jars of several different healing herbs in my house it’s easy to add a couple tablespoons of then, depending on what inspires me.
I find coconut oil works better for a salve than grape seed oil.

Hi there, could you send me a lot of arthritis and in pain
your recipe? I have a lot of arthritis and joint pain, thanks

Hmmm, sounds lovely. What else besides calendula do you use?

This looks so easy to make! I know what I will be doing this weekend 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing! How long do you keep it over the heat?

Hi Ally,

Thank you so much for your interest in our articles and videos :).

Let us know how it went :).

God bless!

Pretty neat the hot pepper cream joint pain mix

This video didn’t show anything useful. It doesn’t show the ingredients you used or how much to use. It didn’t show how long to boil or anything. Very irritating. Is it in the book I purchased?

I found the same thing. I use the recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs for the basic salve then add the cayenne pepper, which mountain rose sells in bulk. It’s in their blog or just google ‘healing salve recipe’

Hi Shelli,

Thank you so much for your comment. We have also posted the recipe used in the video. Hope now everything is clear.

God bless!

OOPS! The woman in the video is NOT WEARING GLOVES to apply the Cayanne Pepper cream. Hope she doesn’t touch her eyes or nose by accident sometime afterwards=ouch! Maybe you should remake that end part of the video for everyones safety…… I love this website!

Thank you so much for your feedback.

Yes. You are absolutely right. You should always wear gloves.

Thank you so much for your kind words about the website. We really appreciate it.

God bless!

I thought my book was so important and useful, I bought another copy for my son and daughter-in-law. It’s fantastic! I’m also loving your website!

Hi Crhis,

Thank you so much for your kind words. We really, really appreciate it.

We are glad you found the book useful and that you like the website.

God bless!

I recently received your book The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies and I love it. I recently made a Cayenne salve recipe that was in the book and it works amazingly! My boyfriend who has chronic lower back issues usually poo poos anything that isn’t icy hot, but he asks me to use this on him every day! I have been using it on my tennis elbow and I have definitely felt the difference!

I will be making this for sure to add to all the other salves I make. I think I might use some plantain with it also. I’m enjoying your book btw!

An alternative to a double boiler is to put the ingredients in jars with the lids on loosely put them in a crockpot with water (water bath) heat on low or warm for a while. I make cannabis infused butter this way.

I have arthritic hands I am guessing it cannot be used on my hands if gloves are needed to apply it. Is there another warming salve that would be better to use on my hands that I could make myself like this one?

You could cover your finger with cling wrap, or put a plastic bag over it to protect the skin.

Last edited 9 months ago by Lal

I don’t of bee wax what do I do

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