Prof. Adesola Oguniyi a consultant Neurologist, on Wednesday in Lagos said that red pepper was a natural pain killer and an alternative to medication.
Prof. Oguniyi, who works with the University of Ibadan, said that extracts gotten from red pepper were very essential in pain relief.
Also “Studies have shown in some parts of the world that extracts from red pepper, especially the capsicum specie, can actually be used to treat pain.
“It is the extracts from the pepper which would have been processed in the laboratory that would be would be rubbed on the affected area.
He said that “It is also useful as a topical preparation; and when applied ion the skin,initially, it burns, but after a while, the individual wouldn't feel the pain again.
According to Oguniyi, red pepper extract is safe for most people, although it is not supposed to be applied directly on open wounds or irritated areas.
According to him, the extracts can be applied on the affected areas of pains such as back pains, cluster headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, shingles and nerve pains due to diabetes.
Oguniyi encourages researchers to work toward developing extracts from pepper in large quantity.
“We eat a lot of pepper here; we have pepper in abundance in our country; researchers should be able to come up with something efficacious in managing some painful conditions,’’ he said.
