this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2026
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Okay, but ice isn't good for this; ~~it's a chemical burn, and~~ capsaicin is fat-soluble. You ideally want something like milk. Meanwhile, on your hands (assuming some of it got on those), you want to cover your hands in oil and then wash them with dish soap (and once those are clean, if there's residual burning, you can use topical pain treatments).
Edit: My understanding of the term "chemical burn" was mistaken. Thanks to @Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world for calling me out on this. I didn't know it had to be corrosive or cytotoxic to be a "chemical burn"; I thought irritants generally were included.
Edit 2: Actually, looking further into this, I'm not so sure I was technically wrong at the level of capsaicin you'd be exposing yourself to with a Carolina Reaper. Capsaicin can be cytotoxic. I wonder now if very minor nerve death occurs at this level of spice. Either way, that's not the main problem if it's even happening; my comment was wrong regardless of possible technical accuracy.
Straight butter helps. I learned this from a Hispanic family that explained why some traditional mexican restaurants offer torillas with butter.
It is NOT a chemical burn. It's an activation of TRPV1 receptors. Normally these receptors activate due to increased temperature, capsaicin activation means they think there's literally an increase in temperature. They THINK you're burning, but you're not. There's no chemical burn; it's reversible and generally safe with no lasting damage.
Your fat soluble comments are accurate, although it's really time more than anything else that will alleviate the pain. You do not need to soak your hands in oil before washing, not sure where you got that from. Soap and water works fine.
I should clarify that my comment was assuming that, like in the OP, someone was handling a Carolina Reaper. Capsaicin being fat-soluble should mean that it dissolves into the oil and then gets carried away by the dish soap. I've never had to use this personally, since just dish soap and water has always worked fine for me.
The oil can also be more practical than medicinal: I know yard crew workers who slather down in motor oil when exposed to poison ivy -- not to negate the effects of the plant's urushiol oil, but to provide a visual cue as to when they've scrubbed thoroughly enough with soap and water to remove ANY oil: If you still see motor oil, you haven't washed enough to remove the urushiol, either.
My point there is that soap already dissolves and carries away fat and water soluble compounds, being that it has hydrophilic and hydrophobic tails. Appreciate your edit and your reference, good deep dive! You taught me something new, thank you
Gordon Ramsey ate peanut butter for this purpose once and I've been curious to try that. I feel like it would work.
Yeah, that’s why some Thai (and other countries) dishes use things like peanut sauce with spicy dishes.
Okay, but ice like he's doing absolutely works. So many ~~idiots~~ misguided poor sops think they can eat my savory jam (what I call the scorpion pepper puree my buddy sends me) the same way I do (large scoop on a chip).
Milk just kind of moves the oils around in your mouth unless you chug enough to get sick. The ice I think numbs the tongue and adds another distracting overwhelming sensation. Whatever the mechanism, I just skip straight to that with people who try to copy my spice consumption levels