Inactivating Capsaicin

djledda

Hi all, I just bought a bunch of canned oysters off iherb as they're not available here and I quite like them in my diet. Unfortunately iherb Europe only stocks them with olive oil and a chilli, and they're kinda spicy. I drain the oil and dab the oysters down with kitchen towel, which definitely helps tone it down, but they've been soaking in the can for a while, so there's still enough capsaicin to sometimes irritate my intestine.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a way to protect from or break down (?) or somehow neutralise the effect of the capsaicin so that it's less irritating. Or even a way to get more off the surface of the oysters. All I can find on the net is that it's fat soluble, so dairy fat might help at the same time. I'm unsure though if this will at all help further on in digestion.

Thanks for your help!

wrl

@djledda said in Inactivating Capsaicin:

or somehow neutralise the effect of the capsaicin so that it's less irritating.

Iirc the irritation happens via "TRPV1" a heat sensor. Menthol had the opposite effect hence the cooling feeling. So peppermint essential oil can help, maybe just 1 drop diluted in a bit of coconut oil drank before the oysters.

yerrag

@djledda

Try drinking milk after

djledda

@wrl @yerrag thank you both for the suggestions. I had milk yesterday and seemed to be useful although it was hard to tell, not much irritation. Great to know about the menthol trick, clean menthol honey candies are easy to get here. Will try it next time I eat them and report back

wrl

@yerrag
It can help for sure but in TCM it's recommended to drink milk alone and warm to support overall digestion.

yerrag

@wrl I'm not familiar with that aspect of TCM, but glad to know that as I usually have milk taken separate from other foods.

It's widely held that Chinese are lactose-intolerant but it may just apply to Southern Chinese but I wouldn't know until I get to travel in China like I scoured the US.