Chili pepper

Have you ever eaten a basket of spicy wings and felt ready to fight an army of Huns and/or frat boys? It’s the heat in the capsicum that causes the spitfire reaction. Indigenous to North America but celebrated the world over, chili peppers are considered a cure for the evil eye by some, and an offering to the Devil by others—cleansing and cursing, all at once. In pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, corn, squash, and beans were food staples, along with the chili pepper as the go-to condiment, spicing up the mundane. The chili pepper can change our perception and provide energy, both physical and psychic. Behold the humble, holy chili pepper: wear it as a charm of extreme power in small, pretty packaging.