Capsaicin: Identification, Nomenclature, and Pharmacotherapy

OBJECTIVE:To provide a brief overview of the chemical history, analysis, nomenclature, biology, pharmacology, and pharmacotherapy of capsaicin.DATA SOURCES:Chemical Abstracts, Biological Abstracts, and a MEDLINE search were used to identify pertinent literature; selected literature was used in this review.DATA EXTRACTION:Original articles, reviews, and abstracts of articles were used to select material pertinent to the objectives of the review. The volume of material available prohibits comprehensive data extraction.CONCLUSIONS:A history of the use of Capsicum spp. and the predominant active ingredient, capsaicin, the parent compound of a group of vanillyl fatty acid amides, is presented. Distinct structural differences are noted between this compound and the capsaicinoids, especially the synthetic analog nonivamide, which has appeared as an adulterant in capsaicin-labeled products. Analysis shows that although some of these synthetic analogs eventually may prove to be true natural products, conclusive ev...