> [!info] Metadata > - [l] Related:: [[2021-01-04 Wax (DRAFT)]], [[nichtdonts]], [[domestication]], [[2021-08-23 Thermoregulation]] > - [Capsaicin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin) > * [alter bilateral elasticity](https://twitter.com/EleanorKonik/status/1510349566583111681) / [got an answer on mastodon](https://scholar.social/@eleanorkonik/108064417950344954) > * thermoregulation zotero collection > * [[maliszewskaAlteredHeatNociception2018.pdf]] [[brownPaleobiolinguisticsDomesticatedChili2013.pdf]] [[olszewskaOppositeEffectCapsaicin2011.pdf]] [[olszewskaVanilloidReceptorsComparison2009.pdf]] [[lundbaekCapsaicinRegulatesVoltageDependent2005.pdf]] [[jordtLessonsPeppersPeppermint2003.pdf]] # Capsaicin > Last year when I was researching [wax](https://newsletter.eleanorkonik.com/wax/) %% ( [[2021-01-04 Wax (DRAFT)]] ) %%, I mentioned large armadillo-like creatures that secrete a waxy substance high in capsaicin, and how that product might impact trade. Now I'm finally getting a chance to pull together my notes on capsaicin; ## Quick Facts - Capsaicin is an evolutionary adaptation in chili peppers; it keeps mammals from eating the plant because our digestive process will destroy the seeds. - Birds don't react to capsaicin the way mammals do, which is good for chili pepper plants; birds don't grind up the seeds with their teeth and destroy it with their guts — they help spread the seeds. - *Fusarium* fungus is the main reason chili seeds die before dispersal; [capsaicinoids are an evolutionary adaptation](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2575311/) to protect chili seeds from _Fusarium_ and other fungal infections. - Menthol (like from mint plants) is basically [the opposite of capsaicin](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12965298/), it stimulates a sense of cold. - Approximately a quarter of the world's population [eats hot peppers](https://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/51/2/159.long) on a daily basis. ## Bound to Burn Capsaicin is a natural alkaloid derived from pepper. It causes mammals to feel a "burning pain" sensation because it [binds to the same ion pathways](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9349801/) we use to detect dangerous heat levels, which has implications for thermoregulation. It causes hypothermia in rats, followed by hyperthermia. Capsaicin can [suppress the heat sensitivity of cockroaches](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194109). ## Calcium Channels Mammalian vanilloid receptors only recently developed the ability to [detect capsaicin-like inflammatory substances](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11853675/). Vanilloid receptors are calcium-permeable channels in invertebrates (nematodes, insects) and vertebrates (mammals). They're sensitive to a bunch of different kinds of stimuli, including chemical, mechanical, osmotic and temperature. ## Health Benefits Capsaicinoids can provide [pain relief, cancer prevention and weight loss](https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2013.772090). Topical application of capsaicin reduces arthritis pain, diabetic neuropathy, psoriasis, etc. Capsaicin inhibits acid secretion, stimulates alkali and mucus secretion and particularly gastric mucosal blood flow which helps in [prevention and healing of gastric ulcers](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16621751/). It also has antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. ## Early Antifungals Early humans likely selected chilies for use and domestication expressly because of their antimicrobial properties; they were one of the first plants domesticated in the Americas and were [domesticated by several different independent groups](https://doi.org/10.14237/EBL.4.2013.2) at least a millennium before a village-farming way of life became widespread.