Ancho peppers are sweet and smoky with a mild to medium heat index. The ancho chili is a dried poblano, which is part of the extensive genus and species Capsicum annuum. This includes an assortment of peppers varying in color, size, and spiciness. Ancho chili powder can be added to mole sauces, spice blends for roasting, and a wide range of marinades and stews.

Chili is the Aztec name for Capsicum annuum. It has been used both as a food and a medicine by Native Americans for over 9000 years. The Capsicum family includes bell peppers, red peppers, paprika, and pimento, but the most famous medicinal members of the family are cayenne and chile. The tasty hot peppers have long been used in many of the world's cuisines, but their greatest use in health comes from, surprisingly, conventional medicine.

Our ancho pepper powder is typically between 500 – 3,000 HU and considered mildly pungent. The pungency of a chili pepper has historically been measured using the Scoville scale, which assigns heat units (SHU or HU) using a subjective assessment to determine the concentration of capsaicin in a pepper. Capsaicin is an active component of chili peppers, responsible for the warming and occasional burning sensations felt. Developed by American pharmacist, Wilbur Scoville, the Scoville scale remains the most common way of classifying the heat of a pepper, although modern, lab-based testing methods are now being used.

The burning sensation of hot peppers is a reaction of the central nervous system to capsaicin; unlike horseradish, wasabi, garlic, ginger, and mustard, capsaicin only causes the sensation of damage, not real damage to tissues. Ancho chili pepper powder is widely used in cooking. The dried fruit milled into a powder is most often compounded as a cream for external use and is rarely brewed into a tea.

Precautions
No known precautions. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.

This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.