Green Tea Extract could suppress heat-induced pain.

Abstract

BACKGROUND For millenniums, medicinal herbs have been used to alleviate pain because pain control is human eternal issue. We have also tested various herb extracts in search of active ingredients capable of relieving pain, particularly when it is heat-induced. Simultaneously as pain perception is very complex and widely varies among individuals, we have originally developed an experimental protocol to be able to induce equivalent pain intensity. METHODS A double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over study was performed on volunteers to compare the pain felt when a heated copper coin was placed on their skin 10 minutes after the application of green tea extract, that have never been tested, or placebo transdermally. The degree of pain that each volunteer felt was then measured on a Visual Analogue Scale <VAS >. RESULTS Heat-induced pain was significantly reduced by the application of green tea extract. Particularly, the pain suppressive effect was more visible with increasing pain though green tea extract never cause numbness at the applied area. CONCLUSION Our results suggested that green tea extract has original functions to ease heat-induced pain, even when applied for a short period prior to the painful experience. The extract can be broadly and safely used in the pain-control or aesthetic business, differently from local anesthesia. [J Physiol Sci. 2006;56 Suppl:S181]