Capsasin I think is the chemical that causes things to be spicy, but...can your body use something like that in any way? How is it helpful?

Well, I'm not up to date on the literature or the specifics of it, but capsaicin is an irritant and can be a toxin, so I don't think our bodies have any natural uses for it. That isn't to say there are not medicinal uses; there probably are.

I'm not sure if the body has a use for it, but I have read that if you mix chilli powder into bird food it stops rats eating it (because they respond to capsaicin in the same way that we do) but the birds don't notice it.

See Capsaicin: 7 Powerful Health Benefits (Including Killing Cancer Cells) of the Stuff that Makes Peppers HOT

 

It is also a powerful non-fatal weapon used by all kinds of security forces. It's used as an animal repellent including some insects. It is also an insecticide and is toxic to some forms of bacteria.

 

BTW, your can learn more by searching for capsaicin benefits. Searching information is a real handy feature to learn about using the internet.

Capsaicin in cream form is notoriously useful as a local anaesthetic in cases of arthritis and neuralgia. It acts a s a counter-irritant.

Capsaicin is used in medicine. So yes it is useful.

 

In a certain way it's a kind of stimulant for the metabolic processes and it stimulates also the release of serotonine (neurotransmitter) which makes it helpful for light depressions.

 

But you should not consider capsaicin as isolated substance, but in the context of the whole plant.

 

For example:

 

 

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Edited May 5, 201213 yr by hydrogen2oxygen

Capsaicin is discovered to be good at getting rid of cancer cells. In one experiment, it was utilized to kill human cancer cells grown in mice. In the study, the results demonstrated that the size of growths in the mice that have been given capsaicin was decreased by about 4 times. Leukemia cells can also be stopped by capsaicin. Also, it’s discovered to aid in dealing with lung cancer.

the tastiest infographic ever

Capsaicin is discovered to be good at getting rid of cancer cells. In one experiment, it was utilized to kill human cancer cells grown in mice. In the study, the results demonstrated that the size of growths in the mice that have been given capsaicin was decreased by about 4 times. Leukemia cells can also be stopped by capsaicin. Also, it's discovered to aid in dealing with lung cancer.

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Moderator Note

jenifer, please include a link as citation (in this case, http://fitnesstip.s-free.com/2012/01/09/capsaicin-health-benefits-useful-facts/) when you copy/paste the work of another person, otherwise it looks like plagiarism, which is against the rules you agreed to when you joined.