[hotsauceking8]

I am on a mission to neutralize the oral burn sensation caused by the capsacin elements in hot peppers.
I have tried tons of home remedies but,none are really succesful. my question for you....is there a known chemical cure for this?

[Will]

Its an interesting puzzle, however, I don't believe there is an instant cooling remedy for capsaicin's burning effects. I like to drink milk generally, and have found that it is very good at relieving the burning sensation of capsaicin. I think its because it has calcium caseinate in it which removes the capsaicin from the nerve receptor binding sites better than other chemicals.

Also, capsaicin is very miscible with fats, oils and alcohols, but not that miscible with water, so a fatty drink like milk would also help wash away the capsaicin. Ethanol (and consequently ethanal) are poisonous so I wouldn't try drinking alcoholic drinks.

[hotsauceking8]

Thanks for the input. I too have tried milk and yogurt in my quest for the cure.
I have also heard individuals say that eating more hotsauce will help. Unfortunatly
I have found this UNTRUE. More hotsauce does not help. But dairy has temporary
relief agents. I have little knowledge of the chemical composure of capsacin, only
that it is an oil and most liquids only spread it around the mouth, causing worse
burning. Can you guys with chemical expertise please research the raw element that
causes capsacin to be hot and possible neutralizers. Your help will greatly be appreciated
by many and definatly not forgotten.

hotsauceking8@bellsouth.net

[AWK]

The best remedy is not to use a hot pepper.

[Donaldson Tan]

Apparently, indian youghurt drink works well.

However, I love the burning sensation. It makes Indian food terrific

[P]

Any use? 

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?action=attachment&tid=5329&pid=60453

[movies]

Capsacian hits some of the nerve receptors in the mouth (and in other places too, actually) and tends to stick there pretty fiercely.  This has the effect of a sharp burning sensation at first, followed by a kind of numbness afterwards.  This has actually led to a lot of research using capsacian and similar compounds as anti-inflammatory agents.  The idea is that you would take a medication that would bind to your pain receptor (the same way capsacian does) and then, since it binds so tightly, other irritant molecules can't get into the receptor and cause further irritation.  I think it's a really cool approach to pharmaceuticals!!

Anyway, I had heard that capsacian is not soluble in water or alcohol, so those beverages are right out.  As said above, milk contains a fair amount of lipids, in which capsacian is soluble.  So when you drink milk, the capsacian gets sucked out of the pain receptors in your mouth and then gets washed away.  Water and alcohol can't do this because the capsacian isn't soluble, so it just stays on the receptor.  Alcoholic beverages are also predominantly water, so the alcohol can't have as much of an effect.

I hope this info is useful.

[constant thinker]

I can see the logic behind consuming more hot sauce, although I wouldn't do it.

The logic would have to be you overwhelm the nerves and deplete them of their neurotransmitters. No neurotransmitters = a tired out nerve that doesn't perform its job. Research the exact nerve(s) it binds to.

Also, you build up a resistance to spicy food overtime.

[limpet chicken]

I wouldn't like to try it personally, but capsaicin binds selectively to vanilloid VR1 receptors, as an agonist, there is a somewhat more potent agonist, resiniferatoxin, also selective for VR1 receptors, its a phorbol diterpene found naturally in Euphorbia Resinifera.

Since this is the graduate/professional forum, I'm going to hazard a guess you might not be some guy who just ate too hot a curry, hehe.

the 5-iodinated analogue of resiniferatoxin is a VR1 antagonist, so potentially it could be what your looking for, although jesus H christ, I wouldn't want to test this one in vivo, as resiniferatoxin has a binding affinity to the VR1 receptor Ki=43pM

4-Chloro-3-methoxycinnamanilide is perhaps a safer antagonist....

[movies]

Resiniferatoxin is an awesome molecule.  It's a pretty beefy structure, for sure, but a very interesting synthetic target.  Lots of possible approaches to synthesis.

[P]

Anyway, I had heard that capsacian is not soluble in water or alcohol, so those beverages are right out.

oh well, I read that alcohol does the job..??   I would have thgought it might but I don't really know, I read elsewhere about people extracting it..

[odedarad]

I have seen claims that sugar is an effective antidote. It could be, however, that you need to mix the sugar with the hot souce before tasting.

[P]

OK  -  If ethanol is a solvent for this active chemical then a good cure for the burns would be to garggle and rinse your mouth out with vodka!? 

[deadally]

But it's NOT a solvent for it.  That's been said numerous times

[P]

But it's NOT a solvent for it. That's been said numerous times

ONE person above said that they 'heard' it wasn't a solvent for it. I personally do not know for sure, but, I have read somewhere that alcohol has been used as a solvent for capsaicin.   Has this been discussed before in another thread or something because I couldn't possibly conclude from this thread if alcohol is or is not a solvent for the stuff -  not based on one stranger thinking he MAY have heard it said somewhere before.