On Tue, 12 May 2009 19:03:21 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Lethal doses of pure capsaicin that I've read about are about 47 mg per
>> kg of the victim.
> 
> So we're talking like a half-teaspoon of capsaicin here?  That would
> indeed be a scary amount.

Per KG of weight for the "victim" - so if you weigh 150 KG, that would be 
a pretty significant amount.

> Offhand, so you know what causes it to be toxic?  I was only aware of it
> binding to hear/pain receptors and I don't see how this would cause a
> problem except from the body's reaction to it.  Or perhaps it's just the
> case that at some level that reaction generally becomes fatal?

I forget what it is that causes the toxicity - probably what you suggest 
at the end of the quoted bit above.

But too much of anything can be fatal, for the most part.

Jim

Post a reply to this message