Adding Capsaicin Improves Anesthetic Treatment 151
eldavojohn writes "It's no secret what capsaicin, the fiery molecule of peppers, does to cell walls. In fact, it's now being used to open cells up to local anesthetics. Combine it with a new drug that works only from the insides of cells and you have a great system for relieving pain. From the article, 'QX-314 is known to reduce the activity of pain-sensing neurons in the nervous system and theoretically heighten pain thresholds. But there's a catch: Researchers found that "it wouldn't work from outside a nerve cell but it would work if you could get it inside," says Bruce Bean, a professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the new study."
Re:Just a thought... (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd guess people would only make that mistake once though.
More than just that... (Score:5, Interesting)
It helps metabolize fat, helps with prostrate issues and a bunch of other things as well...
It can be taken in pill form (for those who dont like eating red hot chili peppers) which is good considering some of its benefits require moderate to large doses.
When combined with other spices such as garlic and cinnamon, the results in numerous areas are quite good, and quite nice... (adding to the list above better sugar absorption, insulin creation, appetite suppression, thermogenic fat burning without lean muscle mass loss, pain relief, sinusitus relief and a LOT more)
Interestingly none of this is news... it's ALL ancient news - that the pharmaceutical companie$ dont want people to know... a nice spicy/sweet bowl of chili (made with just a tiny pinch of cinnamon, a bunch of chili powder, and some garlic) each day (or substitute with a different food that those ingredients can be put in from a steak sauce to you name it) and you've eliminated billions of dollars in income for related chemically created products from the pharm companies - and you have also eliminated the side effects.
something similar (Score:3, Interesting)
One person's anesthetic... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Cell walls? (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, I've studied cell biology and I have no idea what capscaicin does to cell walls (or even plasma membranes.) Come to think of it, chili pepper cells have walls, and capsaicin doesn't seem do anything to them. So maybe it is a secret after all.
Re:More than just that... (Score:4, Interesting)
Excluding my closet addition to hot wings, I've been enjoying the benefits of capsicum for a few years now. I make a tincture of capsicum very similar to this one, listed in the 1918 USP Dispensary [henriettesherbal.com].
I use 15 fresh habanero peppers and 1 quart of the cheapest 90+ proof vodka I can find. Put them in a mason jar, seal TIGHTLY, and let sit for 4-6 months. Pour off the liquid and discard the peppers (or eat them, I guess, if you're insane). Store the tincture in the freezer. It should remain liquid even at 0 degrees or below due to the alcohol. That is why I use 90+ proof. Administer 1 ounce every few days. You HAVE to shoot it. The vodka should be super cold when you drink it, so the burn from the capsicum is minimized by the temperature and the quick drinking. I always feel a warm heat in my gut after a shot, as the capsicum gets absorbed.
Don't use this tincture daily or more often, as it can cause serious GI irritation in quantity. Believe me, you do NOT want to vomit the stuff. Just imagine shoving a peeled habanero into your nose/sinuses for an idea of the pleasure. Also, keep away from eyes.
This is cheaper than buying capsaicin tablets, and more fun, too! Challenge your buddies to a (single) shot of habanero sometime...Enjoy!
Re:Icy Hot-n-blazin' sauce (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Just a thought... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Just a thought... (Score:3, Interesting)
Not at all. Why do you think Vicodin, Lortab, Percocet etc. contain acetaminophen? It's not for the pain relief - the opiates do a hell of a job for that. It's to give the drugs a maximum a person can take per time period before they deplete their glutathione and fry their liver.
Some opiate seekers understand this but OD on them anyways.
Re:Irritating ??? (Score:1, Interesting)
Anyway I've tried the source before and it was an 'experience'. I'd consider myself a chili-head who loves to feel the pain, and god - that was something. The best way to describe it was something I muttered during my chili high. "This is so f*cking intense I can feel colors!"
And yes, there is such a thing as a chili high which is what I believe this person is talking about. As I understand it basically your body feels that your internally bleeding and gives you a rush of endorphines. This results in a "high" that is unlike anything induced by drugs/booze I've ever felt. Though you do get 'immune' to the intensity of peppers after a while. Currently I have to use aged sauces to get a chili high, since my home made fresh sauces with habaneros don't cut it anymore, though they do taste amazing.
Also there have been a few other research papers done on this. Most I believe have shown that while the (oil in the) pepper inflicts pain at first, it quickly overloads the nerve without doing damage to it. Basicly making you have an "out of body" experience of no pain. Essentially... Being drunk without the haze... Just my two cents from being a chili head.
Ahh! almost forgot to add. I've been hit in the face with pepperspray, and it's not that bad after getting dave's sauce in your eye
Re:Just a thought... (Score:3, Interesting)
I can just see people crushing them up and putting them into a gel cap or something, would still defeat the time release mechanism if any in the tablet and opioid are generally plenty active enough orally (granted not as quick to take effect as insufflation but would still work).
When will those coming up with all these ideas lean that nothing is going to stop people who willingly choose to enjoy drugs, every method they have come up with has ultimately been defeated in time, from messing with the pharmaceuticals by the addition of more toxic drugs (Acetaminophen etc, which is in fact not such a great idea for chronic use either, like for example in a patient with long term pain) which can be removed by something as simple as a cold water extraction [wikipedia.org]
Mind you, they can always rely on modern philosophy of prohibition, that worked so well the first time right? and unsurprisingly works just a badly this time round. How ridiculous is it to have a law which creates crime across areas well beyond the scope of the law itself from burglary to murder, all in an attempt to stop a few people choosing a drug which doesn't fit a ridiculous narrow view of what is "acceptable" or are considered "dangerous" like alcohol and tobacco don't kill people. The idiocy would be funny if the effects were not so devastating on the economy and society in general.