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PEPPERS VALUABLE AS SPICE AND MEDICAL TREATMENT
SCHAUMBURG, IL (November 3, 1998) -- Often considered the world's most valuable spice, the hot pepper or capsicum is also the source of an important medication used to treat a variety of skin conditions, reports a study in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Capsaicin, the white fibrous material that holds the seeds inside the pepper, has been used as a medication for centuries. A physician on the expedition that brought Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean observed the Arawak Indians using capsicums as both a spice and medicine. Shortly after, Columbus brought the peppers back to the Old World where it quickly became an essential spice in many ethnic foods.
Modern day dermatologists use topical capsaicin to relieve the pain and burning of many diseases from diabetic neuropathy to plantar warts to reflex sympathetic dystrophy to shingles. The medical usefulness of capsaicin comes from its ability to deaden neuronal pain fibers. Research has shown that the transmission of pain messages from the skin to the brain stops with continuous exposure to capsaicin. -more- Peppers, Page 2
"Many people are rediscovering the benefits of natural medicines," said Scott A. Norton, M.D., the author of the study. "The therapeutic aspects of peppers are among the many natural remedies that are being used today to benefit patients."
In its pure form, capsaicin has virtually no flavor or odor - just the sensation of heat. In addition, the active ingredients in the spice do not cause reddening of the skin.
The same peppers that provide capsaicin for medicinal uses are also used to make the personal defense pepper sprays used by police departments, military forces and private citizens. Capsaicin's repellent effects are also used by boaters who find that capsaicin deters barnacles from attaching to ship hulls and by ranchers who apply the scent to the necks of sheep to deter coyote attacks. The American Academy of Dermatology is the largest medical society representing physicians who specialize in treating skin, hair and nail conditions.
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