Ingredient Spotlight: Cayenne Pepper
Today we would like to highlight the ingredient cayenne pepper, which can be found in our Re-Leaf Salves. We are all familiar with cayenne pepper when it comes to our food, but why would we add it to our topicals? It all revolves around a protein called substance P.
For the past 9,000 years, Native Americans have used cayenne pepper as both a food and medicine. Cayenne pepper, when applied topically, has powerful pain-relieving properties. These properties come from the active ingredient in cayenne pepper, the resinous and pungent substance known as capsaicin. Capsaicin stimulates nerve endings, so they release a receptor chemical, substance P. This release leads to substance P’s depletion. Substance P was discovered in 1931 and is a protein found in the brain and spinal cord. Substance P is responsible for transmitting pain signals to the brain. When a nerve ending has depleted all of its substance P reserves, pain signals are no longer transmitted to the brain until substance P has been replenished. The result of this is relief from aches and pains. Unfortunately, substance P is not the sole transmitter of pain, so capsaicin may only be effective in certain types of pain.
In one study, a man who experienced chronic pain due to injuries from a bomb explosion used a high concentration capsaicin patch and experienced an 80% reduction in his pain symptoms.
As capsaicin interacts with nerve endings, at first it produces pain, but quickly depletes the substance P, so that the brain no longer receives the message of pain. The result is pain relief. Capsaicin as a natural pain reliever does not pose the risks associated with common NSAIDs and other pain-relieving drugs.
Substance P is the main reason why cayenne is such an important ingredient in our Re-Leaf Salves.