A couple of days a go, I got home from work and my feet were killin’ me, especially the instep of my right foot. I took 6oo Mg of Ibuprofen - didn’t make a dent in it. So I took a Salonpas patch, cut it in two, and stuck one part to the top of my foot. Over the next hour and a half it got hotter and hotter in there. Not a pleasant warmth, but a skin-burn feeling. I’ve had 3rd degree burns before, and it was approaching that sensation. But as this burning increased, the pain inside the foot decreased. Finally, I looked at the package and it said “capsicum patch”. Isn’t that what gives Habanero peppers their heat? I pulled off the patch and washed my foot and within a half an hour everything had settled down enough that I could get to sleep. The next day, my foot felt much better and there was no redness on the instep.
My question is: it seemed that it worked, but how? I have always been skeptical of topically applied nostrums for interior complaints. Whatever is actually absorbed by the skin is whisked away by the bloodstream, filtered through the liver, and what is left is equally distributed throughout the body. Am I right?
Capsicum has a long history of being used as a counter-irritant for aches and pains. Basically, it keeps your nerve cells so busy whining about the hot, they stop whining about the ache.
While I’m sure the patch is convenient, it’s a lot cheaper to sprinkle some cayenne pepper into olive oil and rub that on the area in question. Just not on open skin or on a mucus membrane!
I was wondering about the heat put out by cayenne vs. a patch, so I googled “Scoville units of patches” and the first return was this.
**Topical composition for heightened sensitivity **
*The invention is directed to a topical composition for heightened sensitivity and arousal for humans. The topical composition includes an organic fluid carrier, preferably glycerin, containing an effective amount of capsaicinoids extract, the active principle in chili peppers. In a further embodiment of the invention, the topical composition includes honey and evening primrose oil, in addition to capsaicinoids extract in the glycerin carrier. The present invention also includes a method for heightened sensitivity and arousal for humans. The method includes providing a topical composition, including an organic fluid carrier, preferably glycerin, containing an effective amount of capsaicinoids extract, and **applying the topical composition to the genital area of a human to produce heightened sensitivity and arousal. ***
:smack: Oy. Yes, you’re right. Capsaicin is the active ingredient, which is grown in plants from the capsicum family. My info is still technically accurate, but oddly worded. It is, indeed, the specific chemical capsaicin (from the capsicum pepper, specifically the cayenne varietals) that has been used as a counter irritant for years. If you don’t have the powder, the fresh pepper will do, after a little bruising, just slap 'er in place, but it’s an unconventional applicator!