Many of us suffer tingling pain and numbness in our extremities – and now researchers have discovered that the hot stuff in chilli peppers could be an effective antidote.
The active ingredient, capsaicin, is used in skin creams such as Zostrix and Capsin, and it helps ease nerve pains in four out of 10 sufferers, a new review has discovered.
Researchers reviewed nine studies that involved 1,600 participants who suffered tingling and numbing pains because of diabetes, AIDS, shingles and arthritis. A common side effect of capsaicin creams is local skin irritation, such as burning, stinging or redness, and some people stopped the treatment.
(Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009; issue 4; doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007393).