Using Chili Peppers to Create New Type of Painkillers

Researchers from the University of Texas came up with the idea of using chili peppers to create a new type of painkillers, able to halt pain right at its source.

According to the researchers, they discovered that the sites of pain in the human body feature a substance similar to capsaicin (substance that makes chili peppers hot). They found that it would be possible to stop chronic pain if the production of this substance is blocked.

Scientists discovered that when human body is injured, it produces substances similar to capsaicin, which, through receptors, cause pain.

After successful experiments on mice, scientists decided to create drugs that would be able block the pain during injuries. They hope that their drug will help treat various types of chronic pain like the one associated with cancer.