Welcome To This Weeks Newsletter

We seem to be developing a morbid theme to this newsletter, but that's not actually the case. Read on and you'll see what we mean.

Let's get into it !

Chillies & Pain ?

This one is a real relationship of contrasts.

Chillies Cause Pain

This we already know. Anyone who has eaten anything containing chilli has experienced the pain reaction capsaicin causes when i tcomes in contact with certain receptors (nerves) in certain areas of the body.

This pain is the result of capsaicin acting on these capsaicin sensitive nerves and causing them to release a neuropeptide (incomplete protein) called Substance Pthat delivers a pain signal to the brain.

A follow on reaction to that is that the brain then tells the body to release endorphins, the body's natural morphine or pain-killer, to relieve the pain.

It is this secondary reaction that many people experience when they consume chillies and get a pleasant or relaxed feeling several minutes later. Runners also experience these feelings when they break through pain barriers. Endorphins are not addictive.

Chillies Cure Pain

OK, we now know about Substance P. What researchers have learnt is that the nerves only produce Substance P at a certain rate and that continued exposure to capsaicin can deplete the nerves - temporarily - of the neuropeptide.

Until the nerves are again able to produce more Substance P, no pain is experienced by these nerves.

This is why people who eat a lot of chillies, are able to eat hotter and hotter chillies and seem immune to the heat/pain.

What this also means is that capsaicin can be used to control pain in the body.

Unfortunately, for those of us who love chilli, it's not simply a case of having a nice curry every night to treat pain. Though don't let that stop you.

Very little capsaicin gets into our systems by ingestion - it get processed by the liver and that's the last we see of it.

Most of the non-human medical studies are conducted by injecting extremely high doses of capsaicin directly in to the veins. Inherently risky and not something we will explore further.

Capsaicin does work well in topical creams, i.e. creams rubbed onto the area where the pain exists. The capsaicin does penetrate to the area of inflammation and pain and work as a pain management tool.

There are a number of commercially available creams containing capsaicin in varying amounts, many of them containing Glucosamine Sulfate as well. Bio-Organics Glucosamine Rapid and Cenovis Osteo-Relief are a couple of examples from the larger players in Australia.

The creams come in a range of strengths, usually from 0.25% to 0.75% capsaicin, and doctors suggest you begin with the lower concentrations and work you way up. This is primarily because many people also get a burning sensation on the skin in the area in which the cream is applied. As a result, many people stop using it, however, if you persevere the sensation will disappear after a few days. Once you are used to the low level cream, increase the strength to get a greater effect.

You may also wish to wear gloves when applying the cream to avoid the effects on your hands and accidently rubbing it in your eye later on.

The pain relieving effect is not instantaneous, but builds up over time. Many people get results in two or three days, but some have taken up to five weeks.

Most of us here at Chillies-Down-Under.com are old enough to remember watching American stuntman Evel Knievel trying to motorcyle jump the Grand Canyon; and pretty much anything else that was stationary. He now swears by capsaicin cream to ease his aches and pains (he presumably has at least a few), and actively promotes one particular brand in the USA.

As with everything else we discuss under this Chillies & Your Health section, please consult with your medical advisor before using any sort of new treatment.
If you have any questions on this article or anything else, just go to our Nigel Knows page and we'll get the answer to you.

Recipe Of The Week

This weeks recipe is another seafood dish that comes to us from Hawaii !

It's a litle involved but well worth the effort. If you're sick of prawns at this time of year, cubed fish flesh would be quite an acceptable substitute.

Prawn Lumpia with a Green Paw-Paw Salad

Green Paw-Paw Salad

1 red onion, sliced
2 green paw-paws, seeded, peeled and shredded
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 teasp garlic-chilli sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tblsp sugar
2 tblsp fish sauce
2 tblsp rice vinegar
2 tblsp freshly squeezed lime juice
0.25 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
0.25 cup chopped fresh mint
0.25 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

Lumpia

1kg peeled banan or tiger prawns
1 tblsp peanut oil, plus extra for brushing
2.5 teasp sesame oil
115g (approx) Japanese rice noodles
0.5 cup peeled and grated carrot
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons asian garlic-chile sauce
2 teaspoons salt
0.5 cup chopped fresh coriander
12 (22cm diameter) rice paper
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

To prepare the salad, place the onion, paw-paw, and carrots in a bowl and mix well. In another bowl, combine the garlic-chilli sauce, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, and lime juice. Adjust the seasoning. Pour the chilli sauce mixture over the paw-paw mixture and toss well. Add the coriander and mint and toss well. Garnish with the peanuts.

Squeeze any excess moisture out of the prawns. In a small pan, heat the 1 tablespoon peanut oil and 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the prawns and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until pink and starting to curl. Drain the prawns in a colander and set aside. Bring a saucepan filled with water to a boil. Place the rice noodles in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Allow to soak for 5 minutes, until softened. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 230 degrees celsius.

Mix together the prawns, rice noodles, carrot, mayonnaise, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, chilli-garlic sauce, and salt. Add the cilantro and mix well.

To prepare the lumpia, lay a rice paper on a clean work surface with the point facing you. Spread 2 tablespoons of the prawn mixture evenly on the bottom one-third of each lumpia wrapper. Brush all 4 edges with the egg wash. Fold the bottom up over the filling and fold in the sides toward the middle. Starting at the bottom, roll up to form a tiny bundle. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. Brush with peanut oil.

Place the lumpia on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

To serve, place 0.5 cup of the salad on each plate. Cut the lumpia in half diagonally. Stand 4 pieces of lumpia, point up, on each plate around the salad.

Chilli Close Up - The Piquin

This weeks chilli is not as well known in Australia the ones we have reviewed in the past. This is a shame as they are a great chilli and this is one reason we are investigating being able to supply them to our readers.

The piquin (or pequin) is an early member of the annuum species and is believed to be closely related to the original chilli plants.

The term piquin covers a variety of wild and domesticated species that are generally less than 3 cm long. The piquin is also some times called a chiltepin. Though the names are used interchangeably, generally the term piquin is used for for the domesticated varieties (conical) and chiltepin used for the wild varieties (spherical).

They can be used fresh or dried. The team here are extremely partial to the dried form with it's distinctly smokey aroma - even though they are not smoked.

When fresh they are great in salsas, and when dried, they are great crushed and sprinkled into soups and casseroles.

Piquins are reasonably hot with scores ranging from 50,000-100,000 SHUs.

The plants are easy to grow and will thrive in the general conditions discussed in our Grow Your Own Chillies page.

We have never grown them ourselves, but friends have reported their growing to six feet high and there are reports out of the USA of them achieving 15 feet in glass houses.

The small fruit are usually erect.

That's it for this week. We hope you find the newsletter an interesting read and continue to subscribe in the future. And, please, pass the URL for the subscription page along to anybody you think may be interested. Also, if you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in the content, please feel free to let us know at our Nigel Knows page.

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