Name: 泰諾止痛的原理？竟然沒人知道！🤯 (Nobody Knows How Tylenol Works)
Uploaded: 2026-03-20T21:51:40.000Z
Duration: 7 min 48 s
Description: 【看影片學英語】數萬部 YouTube 影片，搭配英漢字典即點即查，輕鬆掌握單字發音與用法，長久累積看電影不必再看字幕。

Once upon a time, There was a YouTuber named me who hit his finger with a hammer.

從前，有位名叫我的 YouTuber，他不小心用錘子砸到了手指。

程度副詞

So he decided to take some Tylenol and asked himself the same question we've all how does this painkiller know where the pain is?

所以他決定吃點 Tylenol，然後問自己一個我們都曾有過的疑問：止痛藥是怎麼知道哪裡痛的？

So we went online to tylenol.com to read about how it works and came across this.

於是我們上網到 tylenol.com 看看它是怎麼作用的，然後看到了這個。

It is thought to work to relieve minor aches and pains by elevating the body's overall pain threshold so you feel less pain.

據信，它的作用是透過提升身體整體的疼痛閾值來緩解輕微的痠痛，讓你感覺比較不痛。

Surely this drug, which as of 2016 was used regularly by 79% of the American population, isn't just a magic beam that nobody understands, right?

當然，這種藥物，截至 2016 年，有 79% 的美國人口定期使用，它不只是一道沒人懂的魔法光束，對吧？

Nobody knows exactly how acetaminophen, AKA paracetamol, AKA the active ingredient in Tylenol, works.

沒人確切知道對乙酰氨基酚，也就是撲熱息痛，也就是 Tylenol 的活性成分，到底是如何作用的。

We know that it's safe as long as you stick to the recommended dosage.

我們知道只要你遵守建議劑量，它是安全的。

But for everything else, we can only guess.

但對於其他的一切，我們只能猜測。

I guess I have to say this now, there's no reason to think it works by giving your kids autism.

我猜我現在必須這麼說，沒有理由認為它會透過讓你的孩子罹患自閉症來起作用。

So how did this drug get created and sold without anyone knowing what it literally does?

那麼，這種藥物在沒有人知道它確切作用的情況下是如何被創造和銷售的呢？

And what, at this point are the leading theories as to what exactly it's doing to you?

而且，到目前為止，關於它到底對你做了什麼，最主要的理論是什麼？

Back in 1884, there was a fellow who had intestinal worms and was getting help from two physicians named Arnold Kahn and Paul Hepp.

回到 1884 年，有位先生有腸道寄生蟲，並在 Arnold Kahn 和 Paul Hepp 兩位醫生的幫助下接受治療。

Their mentor, Adolph Kussmal, thought it'd be helpful to give the patient naphthalene, a thing I myself only know from its work putting needles in space.

So I'm not sure what it does for intestinal worms, but hey, that's why I'm not a doctor.

The pharmacy sends Con and Hepp some naphthalene so they can deworm this guy.

But when they give it to him, nothing happens to the worms.

But mysteriously, his fever goes down, which nobody had ever observed as an effect of naphthphalene.

Suspicious that their NAF might have been caught with something, the boys went back to the pharmacy, like, hey, what was in this naphthalene?

他們的導師 Adolph Kussmal 認為給病患使用萘可能會有效，這東西我只知道它在太空任務裡的作用。

And found out that actually the pharmacy hadn't sent them naphthalene at all.

所以我不太確定它對腸道寄生蟲有什麼作用，但嘿，這就是為什麼我不是醫生。

They'd accidentally sent them something called acetenolide, a chemical that was better known for making dyes.

藥局寄了一些萘給 Con 和 Hepp，讓他們可以幫這個病人驅蟲。

It was the kind of mix up that could only happen back when pharmacies didn't just sell medicines, they also sold chemicals to research labs.

但當他們給他用藥後，寄生蟲卻沒什麼反應。

但奇怪的是，他的發燒卻退了，這是從來沒有人觀察到萘會有的效果。

So Hepp hit up his brother, who worked at a pharmaceutical company and told him to look into acetenolide as a fever drug, which the company did, eventually selling it under the name antifebrin.

所以 Hepp 就聯絡了他一位在製藥公司工作的哥哥，請他研究乙酰氨基酚作為退燒藥，這家公司也這麼做了，最後以安替費林這個名字販售。

At this point, still, nobody knew how acetenolide reduced fever, since they'd learned about that use accidentally.

到這個階段，大家還是不知道乙酰氨基酚是如何退燒的，因為他們是意外發現這個用途的。

It caused something called methemy globinemia, a beast of a word that I really hope my writer hasn't put in the script five more times to frustrate me.

它會引起一種叫做高鐵血紅蛋白血癥的疾病，這個詞真是難唸，我真希望我的編劇沒有在劇本裡寫五次來折磨我。

As tough as it is to say methemoglobinemia, it's far worse to have methemoglobinemia.

雖然高鐵血紅蛋白血癥很難唸，但得到高鐵血紅蛋白血癥比唸出來還要糟得多。

It messes with your red blood cell's ability to carry oxygen throughout your body, which, along with being dangerous and even deadly, can also make your skin, nails or lips blue.

它會影響你紅血球將氧氣輸送到全身的能力，這不僅危險甚至可能致命，還會讓你的皮膚、指甲或嘴脣變藍。

So suddenly, everyone wanted to make a methymeglomenemia free version of antifebrin.

所以突然間，大家都想製作一種不含高鐵血紅蛋白血癥的安替費林。

然後在 1887 年，有兩種被創造出來。

One was sphenocidin, which was the most popular until 1947.

其中一種是 sphenocidin，直到 1947 年它都是最受歡迎的。

The other was acetaminophen, the subject of this video.

另一個是乙酰氨基酚，也就是我們這支影片的主題。

It didn't get its day in the sun until later, because when it was created, people still thought it might cause meth methemoglobinemia.

它直到後來才真正受到重視，因為剛發明時，大家還以為它可能會引起高鐵血紅蛋白血癥。

But, uh oh, not only did phenycitin have its own issues, namely being linked to kidney problems, but

但是，哎呀，不只 phenycitin 有自己的問題，像是和腎臟問題有關，

it turns out when you take acetenolide or phenycitin, your body immediately converts it to acetaminophen anyway, so it was totally fine and wouldn't give you that thing.

而且事實證明，當你服用乙酰氨基酚或 phenycitin 時，身體其實會直接將其轉化為乙酰氨基酚，所以它完全沒問題，也不會讓你得到那種病。

And so in 1955, acetaminophen hit the market, packaged up as Tylenol.

於是，在 1955 年，乙酰氨基酚以 Tylenol 的品牌上市了。

And again, at this point, nobody making it or selling it knew how it handled your fever or killed your pain.

而且當時，沒有人知道它如何退燒或止痛。

They just knew that it worked its magic without making your kidneys go crazy or turning you blue.

他們只知道它能發揮作用，而不會讓你的腎臟出問題或讓你變藍。

Which takes us essentially to the present day.

Acetaminophen is an active ingredient in over 600 medicines currently in use, and

乙酰氨基酚是目前超過 600 種藥物中的活性成分，

its global annual market is estimated at $9.5 billion.

而且它的全球年市場估計高達 95 億美元。

In fact, statistically speaking, I'm confident that several of the people watching the video are doing so on acetaminophen.

事實上，從統計學上來說，我很有信心，正在觀看這支影片的觀眾裡，有好幾位就是在使用對乙酰氨基酚。

I guess for a long time, acetaminophen was believed to be an nsaid, like ibuprofen, the active ingredient in Advil and others.

我想，很長一段時間以來，大家一直認為對乙酰氨基酚是一種 NSAID，就像布洛芬一樣，是 Advil 等藥物的活性成分。

我們現在知道這不是真的，但是

understanding how NSAIDs work is still helpful in taking a stab at Tylenol to completely oversimplify when you hit your finger with a hammer, an electric signal we call pain travels from the spot you hit through what's called your peripheral nervous systemthe wiring in your fingy that can feel you hit it with a hammer to your central nervous systemyour spinal cord and brain.

瞭解 NSAID 的作用原理，對於我們試圖完全簡化地理解泰諾（Tylenol）來說，還是很有幫助的。當你用錘子砸到手指時，一個我們稱之為疼痛的電訊號，會從你砸到的地方，透過你手指上的神經傳導線路，也就是周邊神經系統，傳到你的中樞神經系統，也就是你的脊髓和腦部。

At the same time, an enzyme called COX2 in your fingy cells starts cranking out something called prostaglandins, a word I am not interested in saying anymore.

同時，你手指細胞裡一種叫做 COX2 的酵素，開始大量製造一種叫做前列腺素的東西，這個詞我再也不想說了。

所以，我們就稱它們為「痛痛」。

Ouchies do a few things like causing inflammation and traveling to your brain, saying, hey, if you get any pain signals, you should really feel those right now.

「痛痛」會做幾件事，像是引起發炎，然後傳到你的大腦，說：「嘿，如果你收到任何疼痛訊號，你現在真的應該要感覺到它們。」

And so, thanks to the ouchies, your finger is inflamed, your brain is more sensitive to pain, and

所以，多虧了這些「痛痛」，你的手指發炎了，大腦對疼痛更敏感了，而且

If you take ibuprofen, it basically trots around your body via your bloodstream, and

如果你吃布洛芬，它就會透過你的血液在身體裡跑來跑去，

whenever it sees COX enzymes working, tells them to cut it out.

看到 COX 酵素在工作時，就會告訴它們停下來。

So in this, when ibuprofen arrives at your finger, it tells the Cox 2s to slow their roll so you have fewer ouchies and therefore less inflammation and less pain.

所以，當布洛芬來到你的手指時，它會告訴 COX2 酵素放慢速度，這樣你就會少點「痛痛」，發炎和疼痛也會減輕。

But those won't be the only COX enzymes that slow down others, like ones firming up your stomach lining.

但不只這些 COX 酵素會減慢其他的工作，像是保護你胃壁的酵素。

Get told to take a break too, which is why ibuprofen sometimes gives you a tummy ache, especially if you haven't eaten.

也會被要求休息，這就是為什麼布洛芬有時候會讓你肚子痛，尤其是沒吃東西的時候。

The tummy ache factor is actually part of why we know Tylenol is not an nsaid.

肚子痛這個副作用，其實也是我們知道 Tylenol 不是 NSAID 的原因之一。

Tylenol doesn't give you the tummy ache, which gives us reason to believe that whatever its true doing, it's not doing in the entire body the way ibuprofen is.

Tylenol 不會讓你肚子痛，這讓我們有理由相信，不管它真正的作用是什麼，它不像布洛芬那樣影響全身。

We also believe this because Tylenol doesn't help with inflammation, which suggests that it's not working on the Cox 2S at the site of pain.

我們也這樣認為，因為 Tylenol 無法減緩發炎，這表示它並沒有作用在疼痛部位的 COX2。

Instead, it's believed that whatever Tylenol is doing is limited to your brain and central nervous system.

相反地，大家認為 Tylenol 的作用僅限於你的大腦和中樞神經系統。

And potentially what it's doing there in the command center isn't actually that different from what the NSAIDs do at the scene of the crime.

而且，它在大腦這個「指揮中心」裡的作用，可能跟 NSAID 在「犯罪現場」的作用沒什麼兩樣。

One of the top theories as of now is that Tylenol is also telling COX to stop cooking up ouchies, but

目前最主流的理論之一是，Tylenol 也是在告訴 COX 停止製造「痛痛」，但是

And while, surprise, surprise, we don't actually know how its work gets limited to the central nervous nervous system, it does seem to only work in parts of the body with low peroxide, like the brain.

而且，雖然我們其實不知道它的作用是如何侷限在中樞神經系統的，但它似乎只在身體裡過氧化物較低的地方，像是大腦，才會作用。

So it's possible that it travels everywhere, but

所以，它有可能會跑遍全身，但是

can only work in your noggin this explanation seems like a plausible one for how Tylenol reduces fever, but

只能在你的腦袋裡作用，這個解釋聽起來是 Tylenol 退燒的可能原因，但是

there's a chance the painkilling mechanism is something else entirely, with one idea out there being that it toys around with some of the same neurotransmitters that make you feel high when you smoke weed.

止痛的機制有可能是完全不同的東西，其中一個想法是它會跟一些讓你抽大麻時感覺嗨的相同神經傳導物質玩耍。

Not that you and I or any of us would do something like that, but

並不是說你、我或我們任何人會做那種事，但是

no two things I read about that seem to agree on how or even if that worked.

我讀到的關於這點的資料，沒有兩份說法在如何運作，甚至是否運作上是一致的。

Though I can tell you for free that whatever else it's doing, Tylenol does not get you high.

雖然我可以免費告訴你，不管它還做了什麼，Tylenol 都不能讓你嗨。

High there's another theory that maybe Tylenol's painkilling mechanism has something to do with serotonin, AKA the happy hormone, but

嗨，還有另一個理論說，也許 Tylenol 的止痛機制跟血清素，也就是快樂荷爾蒙，有關，但是

it's not clear exactly how, if at all, that works either.

確切的運作方式，甚至有沒有運作，都不太清楚。

So while it's certainly strange that we don't know how Tylenol worksafter all, most drugs are invented on purpose, is it necessarily a problem?

所以，雖然我們不知道 Tylenol 是怎麼作用的，這點確實很奇怪，但畢竟大多數藥物都是有目的性發明的，這一定是個問題嗎？

Acetaminophen is regarded as so safe and so effective that it's maybe not worth spending a ton of resources figuring out what exactly it does.

對乙酰氨基酚被認為非常安全且有效，所以也許不值得花費大量資源去弄清楚它到底有什麼作用。

After all, it's not like knowing how it works would help us make a better version.

畢竟，知道它的作用方式，並不會幫助我們製造出更好的版本。

Instead, we should probably finally get around to treating that guy's intestinal worms.

相反地，我們應該趕快來處理那個傢伙的腸道寄生蟲。

Or maybe we could all just check out this video's sponsor, Wildgrain.

或者，也許我們可以一起看看這個影片的贊助商 Wildgrain。

Wildgrain partners with small bakers and pasta makers across the country to deliver all the best of breads, pastas and pastries right to your door where you can bake them from frozen in just 25 minutes or fewer.

Wildgrain 與全國各地的小型烘焙師和義大利麵製造商合作，將最優質的麵包、義大利麵和糕點直接送到您家門口，您可以在 25 分鐘或更短的時間內從冷凍狀態烘烤它們。

So for example, they sent me these croissants.

所以，舉例來說，他們寄給我的這些可頌。

I popped them on a tray, stuck them in the oven, put on two of my own YouTube videos, and

我把它們放在烤盤上，放進烤箱，然後播放了我自己的兩個 YouTuber 影片，然後

by the end I had delicious fresh croissants that would have taken me hours to make if I even knew how.

到最後，我就有美味又新鮮的可頌，如果我知道怎麼做，光是準備就要花我好幾個小時。

And their stuff isn't just good, it's good for you.

而且他們的產品不只好吃，對身體也好。

Unlike a lot of grocery store breads, Wild Grain uses a slow fermentation process that can be easier on your belly and richer in nutrients and antioxidants.

跟很多超市麵包不一樣，Wild Grain 使用慢速發酵製程，對你的腸胃比較好，營養和抗氧化物也更豐富。

And you can also specify that you want vegan, gluten free or high protein breads.

你也可以指定要純素、無麩質或高蛋白的麵包。

All of that is just part of why they have tens of thousands of five star reviews and were voted the best food subscription box by USA Today for three years in a row.

這一切都是他們獲得數萬則五星好評，並連續三年被 USA Today 票選為最佳食品訂閱盒的原因之一。

So if you want to get some five star bread, head to the link in the description and use code HAI to get free $30 off your first box plus free croissants for life.

所以如果你想吃到五星級的麵包，請到說明欄的連結，並使用代碼 HAI，就能在你的第一箱訂單中享有 30 美元折扣，還能終身免費獲得可頌。