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"We were expecting an analgesic effect from capsaicin and were pleased to see it," said study author Dr. Eskve Aasvang, an anesthesiology research fellow at the Juliana Marie Center, in Copenhagen. "Capsaicin is a very potent inhibitor of the c-nerve fiber, which is responsible for sharp, shooting, burning pain. However, because pain scores were very low and short-lasting in both the capsaicin and placebo group, the potential effect of capsaicin of up to six weeks could not be assessed."

Capsaicin is already used in an ointment for treating shingles, said Aasvang. While taking capsaicin by mouth has not been shown to be effective in reducing pain, different chronic pain conditions, such as shingles and osteoarthritis, may benefit from local application, but Aasvang said these approaches need further research.

In a study released earlier this month, researchers at Harvard Medical School showed that a combination of capsaicin and the lidocaine derivative QX-314 blocked pain in rats, suggesting that people may one day have an alternative to lidocaine during dental surgery without additional numbness or localized paralysis.

More information

To learn more about pain management, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

SOURCES: Eske Aasvang, M..D, anesthesiology research fellow, Juliana Marie Center, Copenhagen, Denmark; Ashraf S. Habib, MB, BCh, MSc, FRCA, associate professor of anesthesiology, Director of Quality Improvement, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; Edwin W. McClesky, PhD, scientific officer, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Md.; presentations, American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting, San Francisco, Oct. 14, 2007