Dr. Joe… did you miss this one???

Well, we’ve all known for a very long time that there were medicinal qualities to chili peppers, but who knew that they’d make a great compliment for anaesthesia?

Apparently, scientists have found that capsaicin may be able to be used as a more selective local anesthetic, allowing patients to avoid the mind and body numbing affects of general anaesthesia.

A key ingredient in chili peppers, chased with a local anesthetic, could be just the ticket for ending pain in the dentist’s chair and on the operating table without the potentially dangerous side effects and all-numbing aftermath of traditional anesthesia, says a new Harvard Medical School study.

Researchers report in Nature that a combination of capsaicin (the ingredient that gives chili peppers their bite) and QX-314, a derivative of lidocaine (a local anesthetic used by dentists and to relieve inflamed, itchy skin), effectively silences pain-sensing nerve cells without disturbing other neurons that control motor function and other sensations.

Click here: to read the rest of the article, published at ScientificAmerican.com.