Capsaicin, also known as N-Vanillyl-8-methyl-6-(E)- noneamide, is the most pungent of the group of compounds called capsaicinoids: It is a common ingredient in varieties of pepper such as habanero, Thai, tabasco, cayenne etc.
One target with which capsaicin interacts is the capsaicin receptor, an ion channel belonging to the superfamily of TRP channels. Because of the structural relation to other TRP channels and because the vanilloid moiety is an essential component of capsaicin, the capsaicin receptor is also called TRPV1 or vanilloid receptor (VR1). It is involved in heat and pain perception.