Thread: How would you extract capsasin from chillies?

I have just planted a heap of chilli seeds in a pot in my small garden. I want to use these chillies to make some sort of concoction to train the cats to stay away from my garden. I know that the active ingredient in chillies is capsasin. That is the chemical that causes all the burning. It is also the active ingredient in pepper spray. I had heard that someone on this site used a diluted spray of capsasin to train cats.
So does anyone know how I would make some sort of spray or oil that I could apply to surfaces so that it sticks to the cats when they get too close?

I want to make it clear that I don't want to hurt or kill any cats. I just want them to learn to stay away from my garden and that my pot plants are not stepping stones to jump over the wall.

First thing I'd probably try is to make a powder out of regular, store-bought hot peppers. Most places I've been to sell a dried red variety that are pretty hot and can be pulverized easily. Home-grown chilies are too tasty to waste on cats.

As for keeping them from using your pot(ted?) plants as a launch pad, it might be more effective just to put something else there for them to use. Would that be possible?

Unless the chillies you have grown are habaneros I'd try buying a few of them at you local supermarket and mush them up but watch your hands because they Will burn you if you touch them or the paste with your hands. And when you have applied the paste make sure it's moist when the cat's are around or it wont be as effective.

...next time your mother-in-law is cooking just ladle some juice off the top......oh nm you said you didn't want to kill them







http://www.gardenersnet.com/spray.htm

I would just use mothballs. Cats (and pretty much any other critter) hate mothballs. Just put them where you don't want the cats to be and they will stay away.

I believe capsaicin is fat soluble. So extraction would involve some type of fat or oil.

Guess it depends on the size of your garden and your potted plants, but I just read another interesting, chemical-free solution: jam chopsticks (or other pokey-type things) in the soil every two or three inches. If you're talking about a smaller garden, it might be feasible. As far as physical deterrents go, strips of cellotape strung between plants might work, too. Cats hate the stuff. You wouldn't want it there forever, but neither would you be spraying pepper spray there forever, I'd assume. Just long enough to train them to stay away.

Yes just the powder should do it. To extract the chemical would involve a chemical process like they extract caffeine from coffee. Actually pepper spray is what you want. You could probably buy it on line or in a police supply store (if they'll sell it to you)

I presume you're wanting this capsaicin to stop them from digging in the garden?
Our dog has a problem with digging - we've found two ways to stop that. 1. Soak the ground until it's really soft - makes a lot of mess all over the dog/cat when they dig, and they don't like it. Easy solution, but uses a bit of water. The second option is to sprinkle wasabi powder or really hot chilli powder on some damp ground where they like to dig - it sticks to their feet and burns their mouth a little when they wash themselves - eventually they'll figure it out (habanero powder would be awesome for this if you can find it).

I wouldn't worry about the capsaisin. I used to make my own chili powder blend by air drying assorted peppers until they were as dry as they could get. Then I'd put them in the oven at 225 degrees F (107 C) until they were brittle. Then I'd pulverize them in the food processor and sift to remove the seeds and stems. This powder is extremely caustic. Obviously, the hotter the peppers involved, the more brutal the powder. I usually use jalepeno, serrano, hungarian wax, poblano and the occasional habanero or scotch bonnet. It is so bad that just opening a container of it will have everyone in the room coughing. For some reason, if I tell someone unfamiliar with the stuff that it is brutal and not to smell it, they will pop the top off the container and take a whiff which causes immediate respiratory distress. I don't understand why but it happens every time.

TIP: I learned through much discomfort to remove the food processor to a location outdoors and cover the machine with a wet towel while pulverizing the dessicated chilis. The powder produced is so fine that it becomes airborne and lingers as an aerosol, inducing much coughing and watery eyes for a surprisingly long time.