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Great article on why we love chiles.

QuadShotz

QuadShotz

Banned
I found this araticle whilst surfing about today and thought I'd share.

By Nina Planck, Author of the Book; "Real Food - What we eat and why".

An Excerpt I like:
http://www.ninaplanck.com said:
What drives me to these small dangers, as an addict to drugs, is desire. The capsaicin in chile releases endorphins, natural painkillers akin to morphine. First chile gives me a little head rush, then a flooding sensation of something even better than warmth through my whole body. Then, a pleasant numbness. I sigh, settle in, feel less anxious. Of all the food-drugs, chile is my favorite. Dark chocolate makes me feel cozy and pampered, but it ends up on your hips. Wine's gift-elation, chattiness, expansiveness-is nice, but eventually, wine takes the elation back. Exercise produces endorphins too, but running is work.

Apart from being short-lived-only minutes-the chile high has no downsides. As addictions go, it doesn't wreck my health, cost a fortune, worry my mother or make my girlfriends feel superior, jealous or both.
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Full article: http://www.ninaplanck.com/index.php?article=Hot_Lover


Another unrelated, but excellent piece: http://www.ninaplanck.com/index.php?article=poor_real_food

It reminds me a lot of how I think of food. I like this woman. :)

-QS
 
Yeah, I found it an interesting blend of passion and science. Which makes a lot of sense as chiles and chileheads are a blend of both.

Her other writings on that website are very good as well.

She has a very comfortable and easy writing style that really draws you into the subject. She sure knows how to invoke interesting imagery. :)

-QS
 
The capsaicin in chile releases endorphins, natural painkillers akin to morphine

Bullshit!!

I take morphine 4 times a day and a tab of morphine takes away all my pain unlike what I feel after a naga!!


even the release of endorphins???? again never happened..

I like the taste and the heat thats all .

if you get high from a pepper try a beer it will blow you away!!
 
Everyone is different, but capsaicin does cause some endorphin release.

I'm guessing the reaction in your system is being mitigated by the morphine.

Endorphin is short for "endogenous morphine," referring to self-made chemicals (endogenous) that have morphine-like effects. If you take morphine, the likeyhood of it being overpowered by the more subtle natural form is minimal at best.


Here's an excellent article on it all:

Endorphins - The Gift You Give Yourself
By Lorrie Klosterman

http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2005/11/wholeliving/index.php

But even something as simple as eating hot chili peppers has been shown (in rats, by direct application of a chemical extracted from peppers to nerve cells) to trigger brain endorphins, and is assumed to do the same for chili-pepper lovers who crave the afterglow.
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Here's another article you may like: http://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/science_of_cooking/capsaicin.htm

Medical

Capsaicin is currently used in topical ointments to relieve the pain of peripheral neuropathy such as post-herpetic neuralgia caused by shingles. It may be used in concentrations of between 0.025% and 0.075%.It may also be used as a cream for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains of muscles and joints associated with arthritis, simple backache, strains and sprains. The treatment typically involves the application of a topical anesthetic until the area is numb. Then the capsaicin is applied by a therapist wearing rubber gloves and a face mask. The capsaicin remains on the skin until the patient starts to feel the "heat", at which point it is promptly removed. Capsaicin is also available in large adhesive bandages that can be applied to the back.The result appears to be that the nerves are overwhelmed from the burning sensation and are unable to report pain for an extended period of time. With chronic exposure to capsaicin, neurons are depleted of neurotransmitters and it leads to reduction in sensation of pain and blockade of neurogenic inflammation. If capsaicin is removed, the neurons recover.Capsaicin is being explored as a cure for diabetes by researchers in Toronto, Canada. Early work curing diabetic mice looks promising. Capsaicin was injected into pancreatic sensory nerves of mice with Type 1 diabetes because of a suspected link between the nerves and diabetes.
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Another:

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/2004/12/21-capsaicin.html said:
Turning off pain


Capsaicin works by hitting on a protein known as TRPV1, which transports its fiery message into the nervous system via sensory nerves in the mouth and other areas. TRPV1 also is activated by the heat and acidity produced by arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

"Finding this out helps us to understand why these inflammatory conditions increase pain and sensitivity to heat," Woolf says.

Production of TRPV1 is controlled by an enzyme called p38, located within the sensory nerves. p38 acts like a faucet - turn it on and it can cause a 20-fold increase in the amount of TRPV1 in the skin. That's the kind of increase that will get anyone's attention.

It immediately became obvious to Woolf and his colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital that finding a compound to turn off the p38 faucet would block any increase in TRPV1 and turn down the sensitivity to pain. In other words, this could be a new way to treat the pain felt by people who suffer from arthritis and many other diseases and conditions that involve inflammation.

Other approaches are also available. Drugs might be developed to block TRPV1, the capsaicin receiver, and several pharmaceutical companies are looking into this possibility
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I know that for myself, when I have a headache or joint pain and eat some chiles to the point of getting that "rush", there is a definite beneficial result.

Works great for a hangover too. ;)

Doctors are researching using capsaicin in surgery even.
I personally know a surgical nurse who knows of it's use in her field of brain surgery.

You want proof of painkilling?

Try this: Adlea™ - Long-acting, Non-opioid Analgesic

http://www.anesiva.com/wt/page/adlea

Adlea is a long-acting, non-opioid drug with the potential to provide pain relief for weeks to months after a single localized treatment. Its novel mechanism of action results in site-specific efficacy intended to avoid the unwanted side effects associated with systemically administered analgesic drugs such as opioids and NSAIDs.

Adlea is a highly purified form of capsaicin (derived from chili peppers) that acts primarily on TRPV-1 receptors residing on the C-fiber neurons which transmit long-term pain by binding to and desensitizing these pain receptors. This leads to a prolonged, reversible and localized desensitization of the pain fibers. The drug generally has a short half-life of 1 to 2 hours, and is undetectable in the blood after 24 hours. In clinical trials, Adlea has not been shown to have adverse effects on normal sensation such as temperature or touch.

Adlea’s short duration of systemic exposure relative to the longer duration of analgesia may offer a safe, additive treatment option in the management of post-surgical orthopedic pain. In clinical trials to date, adverse events have been similar in patients receiving Adlea or placebo. Adlea is also in development for the treatment of pain associated with moderate to severe osteoarthritis.
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There you go.

Cheers,

-QS
 
...doesn't cost a fortune...

It's evident she doesn't grow her own peppers....
 
Heh, ya...or perhaps just not a whole yard full... ;)

I have 10 plants now, and the investment compared to the net value is still minimal. Here, O-Habs alone are $8-10 a pound. And that's the hottest you'll find.

I bet I could sell fatalis and nagas for $15-20/lb. easy at the farmers market...assuming anyone here would even buy them...lol
 
QuadShotz said:
I bet I could sell fatalis and nagas for $15-20/lb. easy at the farmers market...assuming anyone here would even buy them...lol
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I would LOVE to find someone @ a farmers market setting these :). But of course that's just me, lol.
 
ImpyChick said:
I would LOVE to find someone @ a farmers market setting these :). But of course that's just me, lol.
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You're definitely not alone Impy. I'd buy some too!! For some reason I think that us on this forum are the minority of the consumers though.........Oh well....Guess I'll have to keep growing them:lol:
 
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