The following article review, written by Christina Chase, MS, RD, is from the American Botanical Council's (www.herbalgram.org) HerbClipâ„¢ Education Mailing Service. The article is from a 2001 issue of the Journal of Nutraceuticals, Functional and Medical Foods. For more information, see the credit at the end of this article.
Capsaicin is the primary pungent compound found in the hot pepper plant (genus Capsicum). The chemical name of capsaicin is trans-8 methyl N-vanillyl-nonenamide. Recently, clinical studies have confirmed that capsaicin has analgesic properties when applied topically.