[CH] Capsaicin Presentation

dygurkem none (dygurkem@hotmail.com)
Tue, 07 May 2002 01:38:24 +0000

Hi all, I have an oral presentation to make this week and this is what I've 
got so far. I'm talking about cap (how it affects the body, it's uses as a 
medicine and pesticide). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or 
corrections to my text. Here goes nothing:


When you eat capsaicin, it irritates your trigeminal cells. These are pain 
receptor cells located throughout the mouth, the nose and the throat. When 
cap comes in contact with these cells, they immediately send pain messages 
to your brain. The messages are sent to your brain by a molecule called 
Substance P. This molecule is released by your nerve cells, but if you often 
absorb cap, these cells won't react in a normal way; your brain won't get 
the pain messages anymore. That means you won't feel the heat from cap as 
much as you did before. If, however, you're not acquainted to cap, your 
brain easily receives these signals and will start releasing endorphins, the 
natural painkiller of the body. Endorphins will make a temporary feeling of 
euphoria, like a natural high. Capsaicin also increases the heart rate in 
order to increase the metabolism, like when you cut yourself, and increases 
sweating to cool down the body. Your salivation will go to high speed to try 
to refresh the mouth and the throat and your nose will start to run.

There is a common concern regarding capsaicin that says it can cause ulcers, 
but there's absolutely no proof of that. Furthermore, it's been proven that 
eating capsaicin can protect against ulcers. There also was a research that 
said that capsaicin could cause cancer if you eat too much of it, but if you 
look at the quantities of pepper you would have to eat to get a 50% chance 
of getting cancer, it's just impossible. If you take Tabasco peppers, you 
would have to eat around 15 lbs of them every day for a month. Actually, 
capsaicin is anti-carcinogenic effects; it can prevent cancer.

The medical uses of cap are often related to pain delivers. Creams are made 
from cap to combat the pain from arthritis, as well as shingles, psoriasis, 
asthma, minor muscle aches, backache, bruises, strains, sprains and skin 
disorders like severe burns. Capsaicin is also an anticoagulant that helps 
prevent from having a heart attack or a stroke and that treats headaches. 
Capsaicin is also used on veterinary sutures to prevent pets from pulling 
them out with their teeth.

Capsaicin is used as a natural pesticide. They are doing some paint with 
capsaicin as an ingredient to use on boats or on places where insects often 
live since they can't resist the heat. You can also add capsaicin to 
birdseeds since squirrels can't support the heat but birds won't feel it at 
all. There are sprays to keep away dogs, cats, squirrels and raccoons from 
garbage cans, gardens, lawns, and landscaped areas. As an insecticide, you 
can apply capsaicin with a spray around structures to keep ants and 
cockroaches from getting inside the house. Also, coating fiber-optic cables 
with the chemical could prevent rodents from gnawing on them.



Thank you, Jocelyn

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