Chillies as painkiller

There is a very interesting reaserch going on, which brings hope of producing a chronic painkilling medicine which is non-addictive and completely effective for all chronic pain conditions as it kills the pain at it's source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8644788.stm

I only wish that they would hurry up, and get it to us, as soon as possible.
Do you think this could work?

Senna

There are a couple of threads in the forum on just this topic. Search for "capsaicin". Yes, I definitely think it could work. Just to share my own personal experience:

When I started taking for cayenne capsules a day my migraine frequency was cut in half, and the migraines I did get were much less severe. I then bought a capsaicin nose spray (called Headache Buster - google it) and use that to abort migraines. It helps for the mild-moderate ones quite a bit.

I also have chronic neck pain/tension that contributes to my migraines. I often tell my husband it's like I'm having two migraines at once: one in my head and one in my neck. That's how bad the neck pain can get. I bought a capsaicin roll-on stick from Walgreens and apply it to my neck every single day. Capsaicin desensitizes your pain neurons over time. It is the only relief I've found for my neck problems and really helps put the migraines in check.

Each of these treatments only costs about $5. I HIGHLY recommend everyone that suffers from chronic migraine give them a shot. What do you have to lose?

I just read the article fully, and wanted to add one more comment. These scientists are trying to block the capsaicin receptors as a way to block pain. You can also accomplish this by taking in a lot of capsaicin on a daily basis (as explained in my post above), as this will flood the pain receptors. Your body responds to this by down-regulating the receptors, leaving your nerves desensitized/less responsive to pain.

I have been sent a free sample of Headache Buster by the lady that posted on here.
Just plucking up the courage to try it.
People say it really burns...

The pain is nothing compared to a migraine, and dissipates within a couple of minutes.

jwar wrote:The pain is nothing compared to a migraine, and dissipates within a couple of minutes.

Does it? Oh good. It was nice of her to send all the way to England.
My husband did try a spray (not for headache).
He said it wasnt too bad....I must try to be brave...

I've been watching the Showtimes series "Nurse Jackie" about a nuse who, among other things, is addicted to pain medication.

In last night's episode, a pharmacy salesman tells her that capsaicin pills work better than other pain medicines and she takes several sample boxes. In the next scene, it shows her in the bathroom grinding them up and snorting them with her nose - the way she normally takes pain medication. I expected it to be followed by her running screaming out of the bathroom, but nothing happened.

Just wondering - I know there are capsules of ground chilies you can buy, but does anyone really sell capsaicin pills?

BTW - I found that the Sinus Buster medication caused a mild stinging but nothing more. YMMV. After I used it for a while I didn't even get the stinging.
It also did very little for me.

BTW - I found that the Sinus Buster medication caused a mild stinging but nothing more. YMMV. After I used it for a while I didn't even get the stinging.
It also did very little for me.

What a pity. I guess, no harm, but no good.
I am going to try it.
How bad can it be....

I would be very interested to try the new medication, not so much for M, which I have more under control, but for fibromylgia pain which can be really persistent/chronic.

Yes, I have read that past threads on the use of capsicum.
I am worried about taking any capsicin in the present form, as I have very sensitive stomach lining after taking antinflammatories.

Still it is good to know that scienctists are trying some new solutions.
One day life with pain, will be much more simple

Senna

My late Father used to take cayenne capsules regularly, for his heart. (He also took ginger and turmeric capsules.)

You can buy cayenne in bulk from a healthfood store, then put it in capsules yourself using a system such as Caps * M * Quick. This is less expensive, but more messy, than buying it already in capsules. It fell to my Mother to fill the capsules for my Father.

I'm sorry that some of you folks will have to deal with capsules but it's worth a try. As I've said several times, I do well with tabasco sauce. I know it sound like it would tear up a stomach, but it doesn't bother mine.

I know how crazy this sounds, but honestly it happened. Back when I was living in the woods I once had a terrible puking session. I had no meds of any kind. I don't know why he thought of it, but my ex suggested that I try drinking a little tabasco in warm water. You would think that the last thing you would want to ingest while suffering with nausea is hot sauce.

I was desperate so I forced some down. It burned like mad all the way down but it did in fact, stop the puking.

I hurt my knee Friday and it has been very sore and stiff. Capsaicin cream has helped reduce the pain.

I know capsaicin will not help everyone, but it sure has made a big difference for me. If I drink a minimum of 1/4 cup of tabasco sauce a day, I don't get migraines. If I forget or slack off, back come the migraines.

Chris

I've recently bought some capsaicin nose spray, but I've yet to use it.

Chris, are you serious about 1/4 cup of Tabasco a day.
I cannot even imagine it - just few drops of the stuff in food can burn a lot, so how can you drink so much - is there some way to do it.
Do you do it in stages, do you mix it with food, all through the day.

I use to like eating chillies and almost got addicted to it, but now I have dry mouth and it hurts too much.
I also feel the heat in my stomach. I hope when they produce the new medicine it will be kinder to the digestive system.

Senna wrote:Chris, are you serious about 1/4 cup of Tabasco a day.
I cannot even imagine it - just few drops of the stuff in food can burn a lot, so how can you drink so much - is there some way to do it.
Do you do it in stages, do you mix it with food, all through the day.

I use to like eating chillies and almost got addicted to it, but now I have dry mouth and it hurts too much.
I also feel the heat in my stomach. I hope when they produce the new medicine it will be kinder to the digestive system.

Some of it I eat in food throughout the day. Some of it I mix with warm water and drink right down. It doesn't bother me. In fact, I like the taste a lot. There are much hotter chilies and sauces - habanero for one. Those I couldn't eat/drink with such abandon. To me, tabasco sauce isn't all that hot, just tangy.

Chris

I used this nasal spray but had no head Pain relief. But I now know why. However it does blast my sinuses open big time. I am a serious "pepper head" but this spray produced tears each time I used it. Very intense.

http://www.healthsuperstore.com/productimages/default/HS3175169.jpg

However it appears that it has been discontinued. Maybe it worked too good just like L-Tryptophan did before it got banned.

FWIW, Capsaicin has also been shown to deactivate prostate cancer cells without harming healthy cells. I have prostate cancer on both sides of my family so I will continue being a pepper head. I even grow my own peppers and make my pepper sauces.

I love the stuff and could easily consume 1/4 cup a day, except it is pretty expensive and I would worry about all the sodium. But I just looked up the sodium content and it is only 28 mg per tsp, so 1/4 cup is only 336 mg, not bad. But I would prefer to dump it on food. I love it on eggs, in soup, on just about any meat dish or vegetables.

Where I grew up in the South it was typical to put hot sauce on sweet fruits, especially watermelon and cantaloupe. We used cheaper brands than Tabasco, though. I thought we were just strange until I lived in Los Angeles and saw that most of the Mexican street fruit vendors would put a dash of hot sauce on just before handing you your fruit. It's especially good on mango.

Chillies are excellent source of Vitamin, A, B, C and E with minerals like molybdenum, manganese, folate, potassium, thiamin, and copper. Chilli contains seven times more vitamin C than orange.

Ever since its introduction to India in 1498, chillies have been included in Ayurvedic medicines and used as tonic to ward off many diseases. Chillies are good for slimming down as it burns the calorie easily. Chillies stimulate the appetite, help to clear the lungs, and stimulate digestive system.

* Capsaicin : Chillies have vitamin C and Vitamin A containing beta-carotenoids which are powerful antioxidant. These antioxidants destroy free radical bodies. Usually, these radical bodies may travel in the body and cause huge amounts of damage to cells. These radical bodies could damage nerve and blood vessel in diabetes.

The antioxidants present in the chilli wipe out the radical bodies that could build up cholesterol causing major heart diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Chillies have antioxidants that can destroy cholesterol which could cause major disease like atherosclerosis and other heart diseases. Other disease like cataract and arthritis like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It also dilates airway of lungs which reduces asthma and wheezing.

* Detoxicants : Chillies acts as detoxifiers as they removes waste products from our body and increases supply nutrients to the tissues. It also acts as gastrointestinal detoxicants helping in digestion of food.

* Pain killer : Chillies stimulates the release of endorphins that are natural pain killers. It relieves pain caused due to shingles (Herpes Zoster), bursitis, diabetic neuropathy and muscle spasm in shoulders, and extremities. It also helps in relieving arthritic pains in the extremities.

* Antibiotic : Chillies brings fresh blood to the site of the infection. The fresh blood fights infection. The white blood cells and leukocytes present in the fresh blood fights viruses.

* Brain : Capsaicin stimulates brain to excrete endorphin and gives a sense of pleasure when ingested. This is the reason people get addicted to chilli.

* Cancer : It has been noted that vitamin C, beta-carotene and folic acid found in chilli reduces the risk of colon cancer. Chillies such as red pepper have cartonoid lycopene, which prevents cancer disease.

* Heart Attack : Chillies have vitamin B6 and folic acid. The vitamin B reduces high homocysteine level. High homocysteine levels have been shown to cause damage to blood vessels and are associated with a greatly increased risk of heart attack and stroke. It also converts homocysteine into other molecules which is beneficial to lower cholesterol level.

* Lung disease : Chillies gives relief from nasal congestion by increasing the metabolism. It also dilates airway of lungs which reduces asthma and wheezing. It relieves chronic congestion in people who are heavy drinkers.

Cigarette smoke contains benzopyrene which destroys the vitamin A in the body. The vitamin A present in chilli reduces inflammation of lungs and emphysema caused due to cigarette smoking.

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Charmed Q I use to have fruit served with chopped chillies when I had a Goan boyfriend and in his family they often prepared oranges, and other fruit salads this way ( this was in London) - your writing about it reminded me, mango with Tabasco sounds delicious.

Radjit. thank you very much for your comprehensive list. I knew abuut some of it, but never realised that chilli has so many uses. I use to eat chilli a lot, even found it addictive, adding chopped chillies to everything.But then I got out of habit as no one else in my company cared for spicy food.

I have two questions for you:
1. Is it possible that chilli actually gives you migraine.
I had in the past exprienced suddent migraine as a resuly of an unexpected blast of very hot chilli in food and I wonder if you knwo anything about it.
2. How do I protect my stomach when eating chillies as it is sensitive to very hot food.
I do like it, but maybe due to medicines like anti inflammatories my stomach has become extra sensitive, so now I need to be very careful.

Senna

pen wrote:I have been sent a free sample of Headache Buster by the lady that posted on here.
Just plucking up the courage to try it.
People say it really burns...

I've just tried mine for the first time. The burning sensation is quite mild, really, and only lasted for about 30 seconds. I had been all tensed up ready for a wallop of a sting, but it was nothing like that. The inside of my nose felt hot for about five minutes afterwards, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

I don't think it had much effect on the headache, though.

Oh that is a disappointment. I guess same as everything, nothing works for us all...

Least you tried.

P

I tried that Sinus Buster spray religiously for 2 weeks and no help. I would call it painful not stinging, and the thought of it still makes me cringe! It is a different type of pain than head pain for me. We all get pretty desperate sometimes. I'd try capsaicin capsules or something but I bet that would just eat up my sensitive tummy.

I have read that capsicum seems to help cluster headaches better. But knowing how crappy most docs are at differentiating between types of head pain it is certainly safe to try. I still have my bottle of Sinol and it's like having a small nuclear warhead go off in my sinuses.

I've tried it a couple of times..it really burns when you vommit..ouch. I haven't tried that since.