Hi everybody,

This will sound strange but I cut up some chillies earlier  and I think some of the juice has gone under my thumb nail and it's stinging like crazy!! I'm typing this one handed as I have my other thumb shoved in a glass of milk! Does anybody have any ideas to help me stop the burning? Please?

May be too late but you need an oily or fatty substance. If the milk was low fat or skim it won't help. The substance that burns you is hydrophobic so won't dissipate in water. In other words, soak your finger in some vegetable oil.

Ahh thanks very much... I was using skimmed milk and it wasn't helping much. Thumb is still a little sore after last night. I suppose that teaches me not to wear gloves! I dread to think what it's like if you touch your eye with it! Oucha!

I know that if you have used too much chilli in a dish you can tone down the heat by adding chocolate to the dish so perhaps some melted chocolate would help.

If it doesn't you can always eat it instead (but don't use your "chilli finger" to scoop it up )        :D

>I dread to think what it's like if you touch your eye with it!

Or rubbed into an unfaithful husband's underpants :D  Heard of someone doing that years ago.

Indian people eat yoghurt to cool the chili (plain, live yoghurt!) have you tried that? Hope it's better now.

believe me, you dont get 'amarous' when your boyfreind has been cutting up chillies.
Happened to me when I was 17 and by god I have never felt stinging like it. Even child birth didnt sting as much LOL
Lea :)

It's really not nice getting it in your eyes. Coming from California and wearing contact lenses you learn all about scrubbing your hands thoroughly before handling your lenses. In fact, I'm going to spend some time today roasting two big boxes of fresh chillies and tomatillos on the barbecue. Yummm!