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Does Extensive Peeling Of Chili Peppers Induce An Abortion?
Question: It is a cultural "fact" in Mexico and possibly in much of south and central XXXXXXX that very extensive peeling of very hot chili peppers, for hours and until your forearms are burning and that pain won't extinguish in less than several hours, can induce abortions. These are extreme cases so if this is not familiar to the Dr. I'd appreciate a "don't know" rather than an incompletely informed answer. So, the question is, does this make sense? Or, have you even heard of this "practice"? Also, this is in a population that does not have the intensity of hot pepper use as exists in the Subcontinent.
Brief Answer:
Hot pepper abortions are Urban legends
Detailed Answer:
Hi Even, Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic. I've heard of the stories you mention. I worked in a Primary Health Center in New Mexico as part of my surgery rotations in residency and we used to hear that story from over the border. Also, when I was in XXXXXXX as a medical student, we used to hear these wild tales from patients coming to the Clinic from the hinterland.
The stories are all fanciful and lack key information and details. Like how the chili was used and what happened to the mother afterwards.
Now, chili's contain Capsaicin, which is their active component. This molecule is HIGHLY irritant and if placed anywhere along the birth canal in a concentrated form, it would probably induce an abortion. But the pain would be unbearable for the mother and also, the bleeding and swelling that occurred afterward might actually be fatal.
So, yes, it's possible and I have heard that people have done it in multiple countries. But i've never seen a person who can confirm the practice and I have my doubts as to whether a young woman would actually survive such an ordeal.
I hope this answers your question, let me know what you are thinking.
Vinay
Hot pepper abortions are Urban legends
Detailed Answer:
Hi Even, Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic. I've heard of the stories you mention. I worked in a Primary Health Center in New Mexico as part of my surgery rotations in residency and we used to hear that story from over the border. Also, when I was in XXXXXXX as a medical student, we used to hear these wild tales from patients coming to the Clinic from the hinterland.
The stories are all fanciful and lack key information and details. Like how the chili was used and what happened to the mother afterwards.
Now, chili's contain Capsaicin, which is their active component. This molecule is HIGHLY irritant and if placed anywhere along the birth canal in a concentrated form, it would probably induce an abortion. But the pain would be unbearable for the mother and also, the bleeding and swelling that occurred afterward might actually be fatal.
So, yes, it's possible and I have heard that people have done it in multiple countries. But i've never seen a person who can confirm the practice and I have my doubts as to whether a young woman would actually survive such an ordeal.
I hope this answers your question, let me know what you are thinking.
Vinay
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
With respect, in my long experience, the more certain a statement, the less certain it turns out to be.
I have a long-time acquaintance of high intelligence and skepticism who used the method I described with apparent success, and who had had several children prior. I don't know if you have ever peeled Hatch's hottest chilis for say 6 hours without gloves or sleeves and have experienced the very intense, deep, and persistent burn, lasting for hours (even after bathing forearms and hands in milk, cream, etc). This application of capsaicin over a relatively large large surface area, and with accompanying internal burn from, I think, diffusion of the capsaicin even into the blood stream, then I'm not sure whether your experience covers what I'm referring to. Personally, wondering about another possible urban legend, years ago I ate dried, high-performance habaneros without food until I actually did hallucinate significantly for about an hour. Perhaps it was just endorphins but in any case the subjective effect was clear.
And your question now is, I suppose, that if I know all the answers, why did I ask? Simply to get a rough calibration of the effect. Is my one data point worthwhile? Well, I'm a scientist, working now in electronic design and material science, and I'd peg what I saw with my acquaintance at 80%+ likelihood to be cause and effect. So I'm looking for more data, even if anecdotal, as I feel can extract some good data from the sources fairly well. by their communication.
Best,
XXXX
I have a long-time acquaintance of high intelligence and skepticism who used the method I described with apparent success, and who had had several children prior. I don't know if you have ever peeled Hatch's hottest chilis for say 6 hours without gloves or sleeves and have experienced the very intense, deep, and persistent burn, lasting for hours (even after bathing forearms and hands in milk, cream, etc). This application of capsaicin over a relatively large large surface area, and with accompanying internal burn from, I think, diffusion of the capsaicin even into the blood stream, then I'm not sure whether your experience covers what I'm referring to. Personally, wondering about another possible urban legend, years ago I ate dried, high-performance habaneros without food until I actually did hallucinate significantly for about an hour. Perhaps it was just endorphins but in any case the subjective effect was clear.
And your question now is, I suppose, that if I know all the answers, why did I ask? Simply to get a rough calibration of the effect. Is my one data point worthwhile? Well, I'm a scientist, working now in electronic design and material science, and I'd peg what I saw with my acquaintance at 80%+ likelihood to be cause and effect. So I'm looking for more data, even if anecdotal, as I feel can extract some good data from the sources fairly well. by their communication.
Best,
XXXX
Brief Answer:
Capsaicin gets absorbed through skin like this?
Detailed Answer:
Hi there XXXXXXX first off, No. My experience does not cover peeling chili's of any kind. I like spicy food. But i'm not the type to do any of the peeling of chili's.
Your friends experience is interesting. I don't doubt that Capsaicin can cause an abortion when applied directly to the birth canal. But, I doubt that peeling chili's could allow enough Capsaicin into the blood stream to cause such a thing. I have two reasons for this, both of which are due to the anatomical organization of the body.
The way our skin is organized, it's actually a pretty powerfully impermeable layer. It has several layers of dead cells, keratin and collagen molecules etc that form gapless layer after gapless layer. There are very few molecules that have the right composition to bypass the skin and get into our blood stream directly. I'm pretty sure that Capsaicin isn't one of them. Nowadays, we use Capsaicin ointments as counterirritant pain killers. That means that the ointment containing Capsaicin is applied to the skin and is supposed to irritate the nerves of the skin in that region, that irritation makes the spinal cord focus more on the skin irritation and less on any deep seated muscle pain. This is basically how ointments like Bengay (the old Bengay with Methyl salicylate) work.
The reason I mention this, is that these ointments WOULDN'T work very well if they were able to get through the skin into the underlying muscle and bloodstream. The irritation would affect both the skin and the underlying tissues and this method of painkilling wouldn't work.
So, in my experience and to my understanding, Capsaicin can't cause an abortion if applied to the skin.
As for the hallucinations after eating large amounts of Capsaicin, I agree, the endorphin release could possibly get you pretty high.
Let me know what you are thinking,
Vin
Capsaicin gets absorbed through skin like this?
Detailed Answer:
Hi there XXXXXXX first off, No. My experience does not cover peeling chili's of any kind. I like spicy food. But i'm not the type to do any of the peeling of chili's.
Your friends experience is interesting. I don't doubt that Capsaicin can cause an abortion when applied directly to the birth canal. But, I doubt that peeling chili's could allow enough Capsaicin into the blood stream to cause such a thing. I have two reasons for this, both of which are due to the anatomical organization of the body.
The way our skin is organized, it's actually a pretty powerfully impermeable layer. It has several layers of dead cells, keratin and collagen molecules etc that form gapless layer after gapless layer. There are very few molecules that have the right composition to bypass the skin and get into our blood stream directly. I'm pretty sure that Capsaicin isn't one of them. Nowadays, we use Capsaicin ointments as counterirritant pain killers. That means that the ointment containing Capsaicin is applied to the skin and is supposed to irritate the nerves of the skin in that region, that irritation makes the spinal cord focus more on the skin irritation and less on any deep seated muscle pain. This is basically how ointments like Bengay (the old Bengay with Methyl salicylate) work.
The reason I mention this, is that these ointments WOULDN'T work very well if they were able to get through the skin into the underlying muscle and bloodstream. The irritation would affect both the skin and the underlying tissues and this method of painkilling wouldn't work.
So, in my experience and to my understanding, Capsaicin can't cause an abortion if applied to the skin.
As for the hallucinations after eating large amounts of Capsaicin, I agree, the endorphin release could possibly get you pretty high.
Let me know what you are thinking,
Vin
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thanks for the additional insights, and additional time, very helpful. I'm going to look into the nature of the skin barrier. If I find anything interesting I'll ask another question.
Best,
XXXX
Best,
XXXX
Brief Answer:
You are welcome
Detailed Answer:
Hi there XXXXXXX you are welcome. Sure will be waiting for the anything new.
You can close and rate this query.
Vin
You are welcome
Detailed Answer:
Hi there XXXXXXX you are welcome. Sure will be waiting for the anything new.
You can close and rate this query.
Vin
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hi Vin,
All I have found on topic are the transdermal patches with nicotine, g/mol tiny, and fentanyl, g/mol very small. On one hand capsaicin has about the same g/mol as fentanyl but on the other, the fentanyl patches appear to include engineered carriers that allow the payload to get through the philic / phobic layers. But fentanyl is synthetic and does not have a long history of human consumption. One could make cases for nicotine's and perhaps capsaicin's long association with humans in the new world. Habaneros seem to go back at least the Aztecs while the history of tobacco, with its different range, was what went into "peace pipes" (not for making peace with enemies but for intoxication) is less certain. But in either case both cultures were agricultural and may have bred both of these intoxicants for maximized effect which would arguably include skin absorption. Or may not to any of this! So I'm at an end for now and will close discussion actively or by default. Thanks for the conversation!
XXXXX
All I have found on topic are the transdermal patches with nicotine, g/mol tiny, and fentanyl, g/mol very small. On one hand capsaicin has about the same g/mol as fentanyl but on the other, the fentanyl patches appear to include engineered carriers that allow the payload to get through the philic / phobic layers. But fentanyl is synthetic and does not have a long history of human consumption. One could make cases for nicotine's and perhaps capsaicin's long association with humans in the new world. Habaneros seem to go back at least the Aztecs while the history of tobacco, with its different range, was what went into "peace pipes" (not for making peace with enemies but for intoxication) is less certain. But in either case both cultures were agricultural and may have bred both of these intoxicants for maximized effect which would arguably include skin absorption. Or may not to any of this! So I'm at an end for now and will close discussion actively or by default. Thanks for the conversation!
XXXXX
Brief Answer:
I learned something!
Detailed Answer:
Hey thanks XXXXXXX I'm a big fan of Anthropology and Archeology, and the information you gave me on the Habaneros is a good start for further reading. Thanks for that! Take Care.
Vin
I learned something!
Detailed Answer:
Hey thanks XXXXXXX I'm a big fan of Anthropology and Archeology, and the information you gave me on the Habaneros is a good start for further reading. Thanks for that! Take Care.
Vin
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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