Peppers
Avoid Peppers, Chilies (nightshade)
Capsicum
Nightshade peppers, chilies, may not benefit cystic kidneys. As a member of the nightshade family it contains high amounts of solanine which interferes with calcium absorption. Some experience kidney and liver ache following eating chillies or peppers. If you have liver cysts, peppers is high in estrogens, as are all vegetables of the nightshade family.
Capsicum reduces platelet clumping, opens up blood vessels, stimulates blood circulation and warms the body. Eating chilies increases thermogenesis, the body's caloric burn rate. If you eat chilies with your meal, your body will burn calories at an increased rate of about 25 percent.
Capsicum cream has been used to treat painful post herpetic neuralgia of herpes zoster. I met the dermatologist in Europe who had first tried this as a treatment. He explained that it is much like eating a hot dish, the more frequently you eat a hot spicy dish, the more one needs to add some fire to a meal. Eventually the nerve endings become exhausted as the cream allows some relief from the painful herpetic neuralgia episodes.
It provides relief of pain especially painful cluster headaches. It opens clogged sinuses. It also stimulates gastric secretions. Defends your body against food-borne bacteria. Vibrio vulnificus bacteria sometimes found in raw shellfish is inhibited by capsaicin, but should be avoided with PKD. Some PKD individuals get kidney shut down from too much oxalates resulting in irreversible kidney failure.
