Everyone knows that cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum) is hot stuff. However, when its active compound, capsaicin, is applied to the skin, it relieves pain rather than producing it. Unlike many pain relievers, capsaicin doesn’t work by reducing inflammation. Instead, the compound blocks production and transport of “substance P,” a chemical that carries pain messages from nerve endings in your skin to control headquarters in your central nervous system. Double-blind clinical studies indicate that it helps relieve the nerve and muscle pain caused by conditions such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, whether or not there is inflammation.

Date:   7/5/2006 3:01:42 PM ( 18 y ago)

To test the efficiency of capsaicin on back pain, a double-blind, parallel-group, placebo study applied a capsicum plaster on the backs of 154 volunteers who had been dealing with chronic back pain for at least three months. Nearly one-third of them found that their pain was quickly reduced. After three weeks, another 31 percent were feeling less pain and it was easier for them to get around and to function in general. Tolerating the treatment was actually easier for those using capsicum rather than the placebo group because it provided so much pain relief, although some volunteers reported discomfort. Previous studies have shown that a burning sensation can last for up to three days in some people. In another recent study, when an analgesic balm made with capsaicin and methyl salicylate (aspirin) was applied on the skin, it decreased muscle contraction and the resulting discomfort suggests that capsaicin relieves pain by signaling muscle receptors. While capsaicin plaster is effective, an easier way to treat back pain is with the over-the-counter capsaicin cream sold to treat singles. In conical trials, it gave 75 percent of the people with shingles who tried it complete or substantial pain relief and it is also being tested on other painful skin problems such as diabetic neuropathy, psoriasis and pain after surgery.

Selected sources: Idhiyama, R.M., et al. “Effects of topical analgesics on the pressor response evoked by muscle afferents.” Medicine and Science Sports and Exercise 2002, 34(9): 1440-1445.Surh, Y.J. “More than spice: capsaicin in hot chili peppers makes tumor cells commit suicide.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2002. 94(17):1263-1265.


also: http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/hot_stuff.html


 

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