Capsaicin is the chemical in cayenne peppers that causes the hot or burning sensation you taste when eating the peppers. It has potentially beneficial health benefits and for centuries has been used to manage a variety of conditions, such as stomach upset, blood circulation disorders and pain. It is being studied for possible benefits in managing headaches, including migraine and cluster headaches. However, as with any supplement, consult with your doctor before using capsaicin medicinally.
About Headaches
Common types of headaches include migraine and cluster headaches. Migraines are characterized by severe and throbbing pain in one area of the head, accompanied by light and sound sensitivity and nausea or vomiting. Cluster headaches come on suddenly with extreme pain that is usually around one eye, which becomes watery, and is accompanied by nasal congestion. Cluster headaches occur several times daily and over months. Practicing relaxation techniques and taking supplements, such as capsaicin, may help to provide relief.
How It Works
Capsaicin relieves pain by affecting your sensory nerves, which send information from injured tissue in your skin or muscles to your brain, where it is processed to give you the feeling of pain. Sensory nerves contain a chemical called substance P, which transmits the pain signals. Capsaicin temporarily blocks substance P so pain signals can no longer be sent to the brain and you feel pain relief.
Preparations and Dosage
Capsaicin is applied intranasally, or inside the nose, for managing headaches. Because capsaicin causes burning and irritation of the lining in your nose, a health professional administers it. Researchers studying capsaicin in people experiencing cluster headaches have applied capsaicin intranasally twice a day for seven days. For migraine headache, capsaicin has been used in both nostrils once per day for seven days.
Effectiveness
Preliminary research studies have shown capsaicin to have beneficial effects for treating cluster and migraine headaches. A trial published in "British Journal of Anaesthesia" in 2003 showed that capsaicin produced significant improvement in all people with chronic migraine as compared to placebo, or inactive medicine. A study published in "Cephalalgia" in 1993, suggested that capsaicin significantly decreased pain during a cluster headache and the pain relief lasted for up to 15 days after treatment.
References
- PaloAltoMedicalFoundation.org: Cayenne
- National Institutes of Health: Headache
- "British Journal of Anaesthesia"; Repeated Intranasal Capsaicin Applications to Treat Chronic Migraine; BM Fusco, et al.; June 2003
- "Cephalalgia"; A Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial of Intranasal Capsaicin for Cluster Headache; DR Marks, et al.; April 1993
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