Research into Chilli pepper

Today I have got some time and hopefully would write something spicy.It would be
about chilli.Chilli pepper cause hotness in your mouth.Its because of capsaicin.
So you have been knowing that since early childhood.But did you know that in the
mouth "capsaicin" reacts with a protein called TRPV1,and sends the signal triggering
pain,the hotness?

Thats not interesting.Ok.What if I say I read a few days back that arthritic inflammation works through this same protein in causing pain.Its getting interesting.
Isn't it?


A report in 2006 said Australian researchers at University of Tasmania carried out a
study wherein they found that people who were given Chilli laden meals had a lower post meal rise in insulin.This was even more marked in obese people.The authors made it clear that it gives a little information and more study into chillies and spicy foods need to be undertaken.Some used this study to hint that it could thus help lose weight or control weight.Others said it could likely prevent insulin resistance
and thus obesity related to it.This study is useful for researchers and not for the
masses.

Heres another one
"In the study Okajima, who is a hematologist by trade, asked a man who was losing hair due to stress to take six milligrams of capsaicin--the amount found in about two grams of chili pepper--and 75 milligrams of isoflavone--the amount found in about 200 grams of bean curd--each day.
After about one month of the regime, the man's eyebrows and the hair on the top of his head started to grow back. Now, two months since he started taking capsaicin and isoflavone, his hair is said to be growing normally"

A few days back there was a report that harvard team conducted a study with chilli and local anaesthetic.QX-314 ,a lidocaine derivative, is a local anaesthetic which
is so large that it can not get into nerve cells.Anaesthetics that are used these days get into all nerve cells.A combination of QX-314 and capsaicin was injected
into the nerve controlling the hind legs of rats.Unlike other anaesthetics, it did not cause paralysis while at the same time it killed pain.It was found that capsaicin
opened channels for QX-314 in the neurons of pain receptors only.

More research could find more things.So happy researching.