It stings in the mouth, but relieves pain in the skin

When we bite a chile we experience a sensation of itching in our mouth, but why? If the spicy is not flavor, but a feeling that is not related to our sense of taste. Scientists have proven that chili peppers bite thanks to their capsacin content.

These molecules are not soluble in water or saliva, an essential condition to perceive them through the sense of taste, explains José María García Saíz, academic from the Faculty of Chemistry of the UNAM . "Capsaicins stimulate the nerve endings responsible for the burning sensation."

A "good enchilada" takes you from the ardor, to the intense heat, which makes you cough and even expel tears. All this happens because the eyes, the inside of the nose and the areas where we have mucous membranes are more sensitive to capsaicin.

As the chillies did not develop the itch to taste or dislike, a group of biologists was given the task of finding out why they contain certain molecular elements.

The researchers studied chilies of the same species in an area of ​​one thousand square kilometers and noted that the amount of capsaicins was higher in areas where the fungus Fusarium and certain insects that destroy the seeds of the fruit and prevent them from dispersing to reproduce.

His conclusion is that the production of spicy molecules is a defense response, in environments where aggressors do not develop, chiles produce less quantity of capsaicins.

In addition, it was discovered that molecules have the property of blocking human pains.

Taking advantage of this potential, the chemist José María García developed an ointment based on tree chile extract that shows that therapeutic benefit.

Its soothing action begins in the skin, in the outermost layer (the epidermis), where there are different nerve terminals that make us feel from the heat and cold, to the caress and the pain of a blow. The substance P it is the neurotransmitter responsible for sending the pain signal, he says.
 

"Capsaicins have the property of blocking substance P , thus preventing the mechanism of pain transmission ".

Capsidol, the commercial name of the ointment with chili extract, is useful for relieving pain in patients with diabetic neuropathy , rheumatism and arthritis . A laboratory was in charge of its manufacture and sale for several years.

Science contributes to improving our quality of life, participates in the Citizen Agenda of Science Technology and Innovation, a national consultation in which you can choose the challenges you consider must confront science and technology to achieve a better quality of life in the year 2030 You can vote the challenge that seems most important to you in:www.agendaciudadana.mx

Follow us at @GetQoralHealth, GetQoralHealth on Facebook and YouTube

Would you like to receive more information about your interest? Sign up with us


Video Medicine: 30 BIZARRE HOME CURES THAT REALLY WORK (March 2024).