Ways to reduce burning sensations produced by capsaicin
It has been shown that rinsing the mouth with cold solutions of whole milk or sucrose reduces burning produced by capsaicin (Nasrawi & Pangborn 1990). That cold temperatures successfully reduce mouth-burn demonstrates that decreased temperature can inhibit capsaicin C fibers. Furthermore, that return of the burning sensation followed after rinsing suggests that capsaicin binds tightly to its receptors since it does not wash away with solutions in which it is soluble (Nasrawi & Pangborn 1990). For example, capsaicin is hydrophobic and dissolves readily in ethanol. Mouth-rinsing with 5 0.000000e+00thanol, however, provided no more relief from the burning than luke warm water did (Nasrawi & Pangborn 1990). This suggests that capsaicin binding may cause conformational changes in the receptor that ethanol cannot reverse. That whole milk was more effective than skim milk in reducing mouth-burn indicates that fat may be important in sensing burn. Sucrose is a gustatory and not a trigeminal stimulus. Therefore, mechanisms proposed to account for the reduction of burn by sucrose include the following: 1) sucrose induces the secretion of a protein-rich saliva that protects nociceptors, 2) sweet gustatory stimulation inhibits substance P release, and 3) sucrose stimulates the release of endogenous opiates (Nasrawi & Pangborn 1990).
What goes in must come out.