Capsaicin is very safe when used in the small doses that one gets from a chili pepper or an over-the-counter arthritis ointment. But treating severe pain requires very high dosages, and capsaicin can have toxic effects at high dosages. Too much capsaicin can cause nervous system damage, bladder irritation, and some forms of cancer. As if that weren't enough, prostate irritation can occur in men.

Can you see the pattern here? Salicylic acid was long ago discovered in plants and found to be a pain reliever. But salicylic acid had its problems. Felix Hoffmann used his scientific skill and knowledge to devise a solution to this problem. In the case of salicylic acid, the solution was just to alter the molecular structure slightly, the result being acetylsalicylic acid. It's up to the scientists of today to do the same thing to make capsaicin into a more useful and safer pain remedy. No one knows what the answer will be yet. Maybe it will be altering the molecular structure of capsaicin, or maybe it will be using capsaicin with other compounds that lessen its side effects. But this is all for scientists of the future to figure out. Would you like to be among them? If so, you can start practicing making capsaicin pain remedies with an activity we call Painkilling Candy.

For more information, at other Web sites...

The Healing Powers of Hot Peppers — from Firey-Foods.com.

Life's Little Questions: Why Are Peppers Hot? — from Scientific American Frontiers.

 

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