Spice: The Answer to the Opioid Crisis

We all have that one friend who claims that nothing is spicy enough for them. You’ll say “be careful, this chili is really spicy,” and they’ll respond with a smug, “Dude it’s not even spicy.” Spiciness is broken down into units, called Scoville Heat Units (SHU). These units make up an entire scale called the Scoville Scale, which is a measurement of the pungency (“heat”) of spicy foods created by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. The SHU’s are based on the concentration of capsaicinoids within a food. The predominant component in this is capsaicin.

So, the higher the concentration of capsaicinoids, the spicier the food will be. For example, a Bell Pepper is about 0 SHU’s, Jalapenos are about 2,500-8,000 SHU’s, and the feared Carolina Reaper is a whopping 1.4-2.2million SHU’s. Some people are crazy enough to eat the Carolina Reaper, but no one would dare to eat the cactus-like plant, Resin Spurge (Euphorbia resinifera). This bad boy measures in at a fiery 16billion SHU’s. The main ingredient in this plant is an analog to capsaicin called resiniferatoxin (RTX).

So how is this the answer to the opioid crisis? Well I’m glad you asked. What scientists have found is that RTX is a promising painkiller. What opioids do is basically block the signals at the brain level. So in essence, your body feels pain and that signal is sent to your brain. Your brain then recognizes that signal as pain and that’s when you feel the actual physical sensation of pain. What opioids do is basically block that signal from getting “understood” by attaching to specific receptors in your brain. The more frequently you take opioids, the more your brain habituates to those levels and thus the addiction can begin.

RTX will take opioids entirely out of the equation. This is because instead of blocking pain signals at the brain level, RTX will actually stop the pain signal from even occurring. This is done by injecting RTX into an anesthetized patient (as it will cause extreme pain initially) at the location of the pain. What RTX will then do is basically inactivate the nerve channels that signal pain specifically. These channels are called TRPV1 channels (Transient Receptor Cation Channel Subfamily V member 1) and are used for detection/regulation of body temperature and for the sensation of pain (nociception).

After this RTX injection, there will no longer be pain in the affected area for 5-18 months. This has already been shown in testing on dogs with leg pain. So put it this way, instead of taking an addicting pill every day, people with chronic pain would be able to get a shot once every 5-18 months with no fear of addiction. Now that sounds spicy to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/resiniferatoxin/