the habanero endorphin connection

[Avery L. Breath]

Chile Trivia:

There are over 100 types of chiles in the world.  The hottest known chile
is the habeñero, grown mainly on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

The intense burning sensationone experiences when eating hot chiles can trigger the body into releasing morphine-like endorphins,often resulting in mild euphoria. Habitual "users" are known as chile-heads. So far, the U.S. government has not listed chiles as a controlled substance. Eat 'em while you can.



From http://www.healingsprings.com/ENDORPHINS.htm

Q: What about chili peppers?

A: In contrast to chocolate, which is smooth and luscious, chili peppers provide a stimulating heat and "bite" that increases the body's production of endorphins. Many popular ethnic foods, including Tex-Mex, Mexican, Cajun, Indian, Chinese (especially Szechuan) and Thai, are renowned for their spiciness, and the resulting endorphin rush keeps diners coming back for more.

Chili peppers are not all created equal: red peppers are generally more pungent than green ones, and hotter chilies grow at higher altitudes and warmer temperatures. Chilies also release their heat differently; some are experienced as "hot" immediately, or their pungency is released over time; some chilies cause a burning sensation in the back of the throat, while others affect the tongue or the lips. And while chili peppers vary as to flavor, texture and color, they all provide important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin a, calcium and vitamin C.
 

Q: Do all chilies produce endorphins?

A: Although all hot chilies produce endorphins, they vary in pungency: the hotter the pepper, the greater the ability to stimulate endorphin production, When measured in Scoville heat units or Shu (a standard measurement of pungency in chilies) ancho chilies contain 900-1500 Shu, jalapeno peppers have 2500-6500, cayenne peppers can contain between 30,000 and 50,000 units, while the hottest of all- the habanero- pack between 200,000 and 300,000 Shu.


From http://www.adequacy.org/public/stories/ ... 5.230.html

Capsaicin provides an excellent high when smoked. Certainly one of my favorites. You certainly have to be sober to prepare this, though, and know the procedure well; please study it carefully before trying it. Also, do it in a well-ventilated place and use an electric stove.

Ingredients:

40 oz. vodka
Coarsely cut up dried Habanero peppers
Preparation:
Get three bowls: two big ones (one glass and one metal) and a small one.
Put the metal one on the stove and pour the alcohol into it. Start the stove in a temperature hot enough to boil the alcohol, but not high enough to boil the water. (Given that kitchen stoves are not precision instruments, this will involve trial and error.)
Then put an empty tuna can in the middle of this bowl and put the little bowl on top of it. This keeps the little bowl from the heat. (If you don't do this, the little bowl could explode.)
Then put the glass bowl on top of the metal bowl and fill it with ice water. Since alcohol has a low boiling point, as it evaporates it will condense on the bottom of the ice-filled top bowl and drip into the small bowl. Thus the small bowl will fill up with very concentrated ethyl alcohol. (You have to empty out the small bowl ocassionally; otherwise, it will overflow.)
When you think all the alcohol in the liquor has boiled off, let it cool. Get a large jar and fill it with the dried Habaneros. Pour enough alcohol to cover the peppers plus some more, close the jar and let it stand for at least a day. Shake it whenever you get the chance.
After at least a day, filter the mixture through a cheesecloth. Wearing gloves, squeeze the cheesecloth to get as much of the liquid out. The mixture should be reddish.
Now we boil the alcohol off in the stove-- try to make the temperature as low as you can, again.
When you think all the alcohol has boiled off, store the mixture in a jar and let it cool off.
The result is concentrated Capsaicin extract, which when smoked with a vaporizer will give quite an amazing high. It relaxes you a lot and gives you quite a nice trip. A favorite of globalization protesters in particular; I learned how to do this back in the Seattle WTO protests.
If you try the recipe, please report results right here.

[winder]

Interesting post in terms of timing, since I am reading Psyche Delicacies and am into the 3rd chapter, which is about chiles.  I thought they stimulated the adrenal glands (don't know yet), but the release of endorphins is news to me.  YUM!

Chapter 1 - Coffee
Chapter 2 - Chocolate
Chapter 3 - Chiles
Chapter 4 - Kava
Chapter 5 - Cannabis

BTW - I tried eating a haberno (whole) for the experience many years ago.  The pain in the mouth was as expected, but the stomach cramp left me curled on the sofa for 30 minutes, like I had been kicked.  That pain was unexpected, for I had eaten >30 jalapenos in an evening without incident.

[Avery L. Breath]

Yeah, interesting.  Sounds like a good book Winder.  

I was just down at the local herbstore talking to the herbalist there about the habenero.  He said he did experiments with them a while back.  He would fast for three days and the eat a couple two three of habenero's before attempting sleap and he recalled experiencing very lucid and vivid dreamstates.  But he did mention something about stomach aches.

I recall reading once something about azteks mixing and ingesting a cyan and chocolate concoction or something.  I'll have to dig that refference up.

here's a good read from http://www.soupsong.com/fpepper.html

Peppers
(Capsicums)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Remember how Columbus stepped onto American soil and confidently called Native Americans "Indians"--he was THAT sure he was in India?
Well, that's what he did with peppers too. Capsicum "peppers"--those fleshy hot/sweet fruits--have absolutely nothing to do with the woody Indian vine Piper nigrum and its black peppercorn seeds.

Capsicums are actually in the Solanaceae family, along with deadly nightshade, potatoes, and tobacco. They are native to the Americas--maybe around Bolivia or Brazil originally--and by the time Europeans arrived with their passion for recording history, they had long been scattered by birds and rain rivulets all over MesoAmerica and the Caribbean.

Friedrich von Humboldt, in his Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain (1814) noted, "The fruit [of the chile] is as indispensable to the native Peruvians as salt to the whites." The Peruvians, by contrast, came to described the heat of their chiles as gringo huanuchi, or "hot enough to kill a caucasian."

In fact, by the time Europeans arrived in the New World, the 4 or 5 species that are cultivated today--out of a total of some 25 different species--well, they were already cultivated. The ají (see below) were cultivated in Peru as early as 2500 BCE--and it was so important to the descendants of the Incas that the Indian artist who painted the Last Supper for the Caqthedral of Cuzco painted a dish of ajiís on the table for Christ and his disciples.

Not one wild species has since been domesticated, though many are harvested. ALL wild capsicums are pungent. ALL mild and sweet capsicums are that way only because they've been domesticated. But give them one wild summer--or even a boring but hot and dry summer in a city garden--and you've got the pungency back in a New York minute.

What are the 4-5 species? As follows:

Capsicum frutescens (tabasco chiles)
Capsicum chinense (originating in Amazonia, the habanero, datil, and scotch bonnet.)
Capsicum baccatum vas. pendulum (from Peru or Bolivia, ají amarillo)
Capsicum pubescens (from the Andes regions, rocoto)
Capiscum annuum car. annuum (domesticated in Mexico, these constitute the whopping majority--cayenne, bell, poblano, serrano, jalapeno, New Mexican/Anaheim, etc.)
Why are they pungent? It's their amide-type alkaloids (capsaicinoids) with small vanilloid structual components (3 of them) that meet your lips, your tongue, your throat, and plant one hell of a kiss on their pain receptors.

In 1722, Dominican priest Francisco Ximenez commented on a particularly hot habenero, "[This chili is so strong that a single pod would] make a bull unable to eat."

If you have the presence of mind to "feel their pain," you'll realize it's a fast, hard bite in the back of your mouth (that's just one of those "structural components")--then a low burn that builds to an eyeblinking, hair-raising throb (that's the 2 other "structural components").

Different cultivars are rated here for pungency according to Jean Andrews informal "0 to 10+" scale--but beware the occasional "sweet" throwbacks that, for one reason or another, break out of their domesticated genes and go positively feral on your lips. And while I'm on the subject, let me give great thanks and praise and appreciation to Jean Andrews and her book, Red Hot Peppers, both for her fastidious research and for her infectious exuberance for a humdinger of a food.

A couple of notes:

NOTE:
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ULCERS OR WITH STOMACH ACIDS: 1) don't mix your peppers with liquor, caffeine, nicotine, aspirin, or emotion, and 2) eat fat beforehand--cheese or cream especially.

NOTE:
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ULCERS OR WITH STOMACH ACIDS AND REFUSE TO GIVE UP YOUR CIGARETTES AND MARGARITAS OR REFUSE TO STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOUR KIDS / MATE / LOVER: 1) eat LOTS of cheese, 2) drink lots of cream, and 3) hope for the best.

NOTE:
IF YOUR MOUTH IS ON FIRE! Some things help. Lipoproteins such as the casein in milk and yoghurt (NOT cheese or butter, since it's casein and not fat that helps) give relief. In one tangle with a habanero (it won) I was okay as long as I held yoghurt to the nuclear bomb site on my lips--but back to pain plus the minute I swallowed. Another remedy is to swish and gargle with vodka, since capsaicin is soluble in alcohol. Be careful not to swallow, though, cause you'll end up burning holes in your stomach lining. Maybe the best was suggested to me by Ray, in Seattle: Swish your mouth with straight hydrogen peroxide, holding it without swallowing until it fizzles, then spitting it out. Then do it again. After the second application, the fire is under control. You can also hold a peroxide soaked paper towel to burning lips for relief.

NOTE:
IF YOU'RE TOO STUBBORN TO WEAR RUBBER GLOVES WHEN YOU'RE CUTTING CHILES AND THEN JUSTIFIABLY WORRY ABOUT RUBBING YOUR EYES OR PERFORMING OTHER BODILY FUNCTIONS. And this goes double for people who wear contact lenses and have to take them out at some point. WELL, there really IS a bonafide solution here--and I do mean solution. Just get yourself a little bowl of clorox (bleach), diluted 5 parts water to 1 part bleach, and so long as you dip your fingers in from time to time you've got the problem licked. Why? Capsaicin compound is not soluble in water, but chlorine or ammonia turns it into a salt, which IS soluble in water. Please be advised, though, you should never soak your hands in this solution--that will compound the problem and cause burns. Just dip the fingers quickly. Alternatively, one reader advises that you can also protect your hands by coating them lightly with vegetable oil as a barrier--not as good as rubber gloves, but the same principle.

[Avery L. Breath]

I swear, yah just can't hardly beat that erowid to the punch anymore these days....

http://www.erowid.org/plants/capsicum/c ... cle1.shtml

And here's another article

Many people who have never heard of the molecule Capsaicin are intimately acquainted with its effects. Anyone who has ever bitten into a bright, red pepper and had what seems like a ball of fire explode inside their mouth knows all too well what Capsaicin does. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in the Ã'hotÃ" pepper family Capsicum, responsible for the burning pain these peppers can elicit. What may not be apparent to pepper-lovers is that the same chemical that causes such agonizing oral stimulation has very powerful analgesic effects as well. Although known as a potent pain-killer to the indigenous people of South America for hundreds of years, it has only recently become accepted as a medical treatment among western-physicians. Scientists have not only developed medical treatments using Capsaicin for certain types of chronic pain, but have also used this versatile molecule to elicit information about nervous pain pathways. Studies involving Capsaicin tell scientists a great deal about how we perceive pain, what causes pain, and how the pain signal might be stopped. Reading the copious amount of Capsaicin literature one sees its power and potential as an analgesic agent: a relatively safe means to relieve chronic inflammatory pain.

A Background On Peppers
Before delving into Capsaicin neurochemistry, a little history may illuminate the state of current research on Capsaicin. The western world first discovered hot peppers after Columbus returned from his second journey to the Ã'newÃ" world (Naj, 1992). The term Ã'chiliÃ" pepper comes from the Aztec word for the pepper, chile, which was changed into chili by the Spanish. Although Columbus brought the first peppers back to Europe, they werenÕt well received by the Catholic majesties sponsoring his voyage, and were quickly forgotten. The Portuguese, however, discovered peppers for themselves a few years later in Brazil. This single encounter would be responsible for spreading hot peppers first to Africa, then India, China, Japan, the Philippines and Indochina. It is estimated that it only took 50 years for the pepper to spread around the world. Although many countries quickly adopted this new and strange fruit into local cuisines, the pepper received its warmest reception in Hungary as a powder called Paprika, which came to characterize much of Hungarian cuisine. A result of the pepper spreading around the world is its evolution into an incredible array of different shapes, colors, and pungencies. These range from the nonpungent bell pepper to what is considered to be the hottest pepper in the world - the habanero (both of which, incidentally, come from Mexico).
Capsaicin, or 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide, was first identified as the active ingredient in peppers in 1877, by an Englishman working in India. Pepper fruits contain between 0.1% and 1% Capsaicin, derived from the amino acids valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Capsaicin has four derivatives, each with an acidic side chain of variable length. The pungency of a particular pepper species depends on the relative concentrations of Capsaicin and its derivatives, with long acidic side-chain derivatives being less pungent than shorter ones. Wilbur Scoville, an American pharmacist, devised an early means to assess the pungency of different pepper species in 1912. Scoville would soak a pepper in alcohol overnight, and then dilute the extract with sweetened water until the pungency was hardly discernible to his tongue. The units of sweetened water Scoville used became his index for assessing pungency (Andrews, 1984). Although the means Scoville used to devise his scale were extremely subjective, the Scoville Heat Scale has been supported experimentally through measuring the extent pepper extracts depolarize nocisensitive neurons (Caterina et.al., 1997).

The Pain Pathway
It is impossible to understand CapsaicinÕs physiological effects without understanding the mammalian pain pathway. We sense pain through nocisensitive peripheral neurons. When something causes us pain, these neurons depolarize and convey the pain message to the Central Nervous System (CNS), which processes the stimulus as being something painful. There is a great diversity of neuron types in the mammalian nervous system, the pain pathway being no exception. Different types of pain are sensed by different subpopulations of neurons, leading to that particular type being sensed by the CNS. A major Neurotransmitter in this pathway is Substance P (SP), which is involved in sending certain types of pain stimuli to the brain (Lotz, 1994). Disorders involving Substance P include Arthritis, Psoriasis, Atypical Facial Pain (ATFP), and Trigeminal Neuralgia (WWW 1).
On a more molecular scale, it has been shown that Substance P contributes to inflammation by causing various cells to produce cytokines. Substance P is produced from a type of gene called preprotachykinin, of which there are two forms, alpha and beta. Substance P, and the Tachykinin family of peptides to which it is related, are distinguished by the common C-terminal amino acid sequence of Phe-X-Gly-Leu-Met. This family of peptide neurotransmitters act mainly by activating Neurokinin (NK) receptors, a type of G-protein coupled postsynaptic receptor, with SP having the most affinity for the NK-1 receptor. Substance P is also known to interact with cell types that do not express the NK-1 receptor, such as Mast Cells and Monocytes, suggesting the possibility of another means of eliciting cell-responses. Transmitting the pain signal is only one of the many functions of Substance P, which also include regulating smooth muscle contraction, secretion, and cell proliferation (Lotz, 1994)

CapsaicinÕs Effects on the Pain Pathway
CapsaicinÕs mechanism of action is very complex. The short explanation would be that Capsaicin reduces the levels of Substance P at afferent nerve endings, thus taking away the sensation of pain Substance P produces. In reality, however, the mechanism by which this occurs is unbelievably complex. Capsaicin binds to a presynaptic receptor recently identified as Vanilloid Receptor Subtype 1, or VR1 for short. VR1 is structurally related to the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) family of receptors, yet unique in not being inhibited by classical channel blocking agents, such as dihydropyridines or tetrodotoxin (Caterina et. al., 1997). Capsaicin binds with very high affinity to this receptor, causing the opening of non-selective cation channels especially partial to Calcium. VR1 actually passes 10 Calcium ions into the cell for every 1 Sodium ion also passed through (Clapham, 1997). With this sudden and large influx of Calcium comes the release of enormous quantities of non-vesicular Substance P. According to Purkiss et. al., there are two distinct mechanisms by which Capsaicin does this, only one of which is dependent on Calcium concentrations. The second mechanism is poorly understood, but involves extremely high Capsaicin concentrations, and is Calcium independent (Purkiss et. al., 1997).
If Capsaicin causes the release of Substance P, and Substance P causes the sensation of pain, how can it act as a pain-killer? Paradoxically, Capsaicin induces burning pain only immediately after first application. This initial pain is the result of Substance PÕs presence in the synapse, binding to its receptor. Once this presynaptic Substance P becomes depleted, however, the sensation of pain leaves as well. Subsequent Capsaicin treatments can raise the pain threshold, causing increased amounts of synaptic Substance P to elicit the same level of pain (WWW 2). This also works through two distinct mechanisms. Capsaicin has neurotoxic effects on the neurons to which it binds. Activation of the VR1 receptor allows excessive and toxic amounts of Calcium to enter the cell, causing cytoplasmic swelling, a coalescence and fusing of cytoplasmic contents, and eventual cell lysis (Wood, 1993). Sometimes just peripheral neural terminals, and not the entire neuron itself, are affected by CapsaicinÕs neurotoxicity (Caterina et. al., 1997).
In any case, CapsaicinÕs effects on neurons and nerve terminals severely impedes transmission through the pain pathway, producing analgesia. This neurotoxic effect is a characteristic of CapsaicinÕs interaction specifically with the VR1 receptor, and is independent of the type of tissue within which the receptor sits (Caterina et. al., 1997). Secondly, Capsaicin-induced Substance P release causes a great deal of SP to accumulate in the synapse for an unusually long period of time. Over time, this reduces the number of postsynaptic SP receptors, as shown with experiments by Sann et. al. on Capsaicin-treated rat Dorsal Root Ganglia. Fewer Substance P receptors sense fewer SP molecules, resulting in permanent reduced levels of pain perception (Sann et. al., 1995).

Other Effects of Capsaicin
CapsaicinÕs effects are not limited to Substance P. Following VR1 receptor binding, Capsaicin induces the release of Beta-endorphin, one of many endogenous opioids involved in analgesia (Bach and Yaksh, 1995). Beta-endorphin prevents Substance P from leaving the axon terminal, and only becomes released in response to prolonged stimulation of the pain pathway. Experimental proof for the mechanism by which this happens came from NK1 receptor selective antagonists. By preventing Substance P from binding to its receptor, there was no sensation of pain traveling to the Central Nervous System, rendering Capsaicin ineffective in eliciting a pain signal. With no pain signal, Beta-endorphin release stopped as well (Beta-endorphin release is also mediated by NMDA glutamate receptors; selective NMDA antagonists created the same effect as NK1 antagonists). This is an example of one of the many ways the body can naturally dampen the sensation of pain. This NK1 mediated dampening is especially pertinent considering what the Capsaicin-activated VR1 receptor was designed to sense: heat. In addition to Capsaicin, noxious heat levels also activate the VR1 channel, allowing us to sense dangerous levels of heat through pain pathway circuits (Caterina et. al., 1997). Protons were also proven to be involved in activating these receptors, although they cannot cause axon depolarization by themselves.
How do Beta-endorphin, heat, and protons relate to CapsaicinÕs potential as a therapeutic? Beta-endorphin obviously relieves pain, a good feature for any analgesic agent. The fact that heat activates Substance P release demonstrates what types of pain Capsaicin would be most effective in treating. Capsaicin is most useful for treating chronic, burning pains, the best known example of which is Arthritis. This comes back to the fact that Substance P has a wide array of functions in addition to its role as a neurotransmitter. Substance P stimulates the inflammatory response in most leukocytes, and also activates keratinocytes, endothelial and epithelial cells, and fibroblasts (Lotz, 1994). Much of these interactions depend on Substance PÕs cellular environment, and are mediated by various neuropeptides, growth factors, and cytokines. The inflammatory response produces a burning sensation, which is a direct what types of stimuli activate the VR1 receptor, mediating the release of Substance P. Receptor function, the type of pain sensed as a result, and the potential therapeutic treatment become logically interrelated. Incidentally, these observations explain why we perceive chili peppers as Ã'hotÃ" inside our mouths. There is also reportedly a pepper Ã'highÃ" associated with large amounts of pepper consumption. This refers to a short, fleeting, sense of euphoria and analgesia people sometimes may experience after eating a lot of hot peppers. Considering that Capsaicin causes the release of Beta-endorphin, which is many times more potent than Morphine inside of the CNS, this phenomena makes a great deal of sense.

Should Capsaicin Be Used as an Analgesic?
After reviewing the science behind CapsaicinÕs effects on the nervous system, it seems to be a relatively safe way to treat certain types of chronic pain. Although Capsaicin causes neurotoxicity, only neurons in the pain pathway are affected, enhancing its role as an analgesic. A major drawback, however, comes from reports of toxic Capsaicin-induced effects on the liver. The liver metabolizes Capsaicin with a mixed-function oxidase system, hydroxylating it at the 5 position on its ring. It was shown that in this altered form, Capsaicin inhibits liver-induced drug biotransformation. Another preliminary study in mice suggested that Capsaicin treatment causes cancer of the duodenum, but there has been no research into this area since (Nutritional Reviews, 1986). None of the subsequent Capsaicin biochemistry experiments have mentioned carcinogenesis as a possible side effect, discounting these early and possibly premature reports (made before 1986!). Taking the above into account, Capsaicin still seems to have value as safe and easily obtainable pain-killer.
Using Capsaicin is easy, thanks in part to a commercially available preparation called Zostrix. Zostrix is available in one of two forms, regular strength, which has 0.025% Capsaicin, and high potency, which has 0.075% Capsaicin. Some newer over-the-counter ointments are Capzasin, which also comes in two forms, Equate, the generic form of Zostrix, and Arthicare, which has a mixture of Capsaicin and Menthol (WWW 3). These products are either creams or gels, for external bodily use only (developed with arthritis in mind). There have been reports of pain relief after intraoral applications of these Capsaicin creams (Hawk and Millikan, 1988), and reports of oral analgesia from Cayenne Pepper candy (Berger et. al., 1995).
The greatest challenge to developing a systematic treatment involving Capsaicin remains timing. After an initial Capsaicin application, there is an intense burning sensation which fades gradually. If a second Capsaicin treatment is administered before the burning completely disappears, the sensation of pain will become more intense. If administered after the initial pain has completely left, the pain threshold will become increased, desensitizing the area to further Capsaicin treatments and any endogenous pain. The pain threshold can be gradually raised by increasing the Capsaicin concentration with each subsequent application. The exact amount of Capsaicin cream one should use, and the optimum amount of time one should use it remain highly subjective, varying from trial to trial.
Among the clinical trials that have been conducted, patients applied the Capsaicin cream an average of four times daily, between four and eight weeks (depending on the severity of their inflammation). Among the conditions treated in these clinical trials are diabetic neuropathy, osteoarthritis, postherpetic neuraglia, postmastectomy pain, and psoriasis (WWW 4). Patients treated with Capsaicin generally responded better than those given the placebo cream, the best results being from the osteoarthritis trials, where for every three patients treated one responded to Capsaicin who wouldnÕt respond to a placebo (Zhang and Po, 1994). Unfortunately, however, the literature on CapsaicinÕs clinical trials excludes any mention of adverse effects. Aside from BergerÕs article on pepper candies, where some trial participants stopped using the candies after severe oral irritation, there is no mention of even the slightest skin problems, which seems rather odd considering the burning pain Capsaicin elicits.

Conclusion
Based on recent scientific literature, Capsaicin seems to be a very safe means of treating certain kinds of pain. This recommendation has to be tempered, however, by recognizing that information about any potential dangers from Capsaicin is severely lacking. Although there were reports from as far back as 1986 that Capsaicin may cause duodenal cancer, no follow-up research has ever been conducted. Only one article in the past thirteen years even mentions that Capsaicin has toxic effects on the liver. Most of the reports of therapeutic trials involving Capsaicin avoid including any section on side-effects, essential information when devising a treatment strategy for individual patients. I hope that future literature will focus on these potential dangers of Capsaicin use, especially as it gains status as an accepted treatment for chronic inflammatory pain.
Negative potential side-effects aside, Capsaicin seems to be extremely safe and effective. Although Capsaicin treatment does involve nerve cell and axon terminal death, it only affects nocireceptive nerves and pathways, which selectively eliminates the sensation of pain in areas that are severely inflamed. If that werenÕt enough, Capsaicin also reduces postsynaptic Substance P binding sites and induces the release of opiates, both of which further dampen pain pathway transmission. Incredibly, all of these reactions are mediated by a compound people can encounter throughout their lives, either in markets, restaurants, or at home, and never really appreciate for the powerful neurochemical effects it can elicit. After writing this paper, I have a new-found respect for chili peppers, and the powerful effects they can have on our bodies.

[Avery L. Breath]

Capsaicin nasal spray anyone?

All Natural Pepper Nasal Spray Produces a Natural High
Publish Date : 7/12/2004 10:53:00 AM   Source : Health and Fitness News

There are many natural highs in this world. Some are legal, and most are not, but one of the best "legal highs" is produced by our own bodies in the form of Endorphins.
Recently there's been a buzz about a new natural health supplement on the market that instantly sparks the body's endorphin machine into action. It's the world's first nasal spray made with (capsaicin), the active ingredient found in natural hot pepper extract. Aside from fighting chronic sinusitis and headaches, many users credit the Sinus Buster nasal spray for giving them an instant burst of endorphins that leads to a feeling of focus and well being.

........ rest of article can be found here... (warning, it's a sudo-advertisement)

http://www.onlypunjab.com/fitness/fulls ... D-239.html

[fractanimist]

Sooo.....has anyone here ever smoked the habanero extract?  Sounds crazy, brings up visions of burning lungs etc. and maybe a very HOT harsh smoke.  

Anyone?

[Avery L. Breath]

I just made an extract of an ounce of them, but I haven't been over to my friends house with a vaporizer yet.  But am in the process.  Am curious myself.

[JRL]

Well if it don't kill you I might try it!! let me know what happens.

[OBODAOUR]

The nasal spray sounds nice... idk about smoking it tho sounds scary! heh cool info!

Peace
OBODAOUR

[fractanimist]

Avery L. did you try it yet?  Vaporizing does sound nicer than burning.

[Avery L. Breath]

Yah know I almost forgot about that.  Will re-introduce the oilish substance I dried out to some mint leaf tonight and get back to you on that one.

[jokergrin]

Yah know I almost forgot about that.  Will re-introduce the oilish substance I dried out to some mint leaf tonight and get back to you on that one.

sounds intriguing...keep us updated...

[Avery L. Breath]

Darnit, yah know, I just never got around to trying this.  Am gonna have to make another extract.

A~

[Ashoka]

Avery, I think it is going to be extremely painful to inhale capsaicin vapours - and is it safe? Won't the lungs react by releasing copius amounts of mucus i.e. increase the chance of asphyxiation? They used chili smoke to torture prisoners in the Aztec culture for gawd sakes.

[telepathine]

smoking chilli peppers?
come on guys, why dont you just eat it?!
half of good habanero will make you enjoy your life perfectly after it stops burning like hell
..and you know, after hell there is only heaven