This might seem counterintuitive if you've ever poured alcohol on an open wound and it burnt like hell. Well, you might be surprised that what burns you is not the alcohol itself, but rather the effects it has on your nervous systems.
Studies have shown that ethanol, which is a kind of alcohol, causes skin cells to put out the same neurochemical signals they put out when heat is around. The result is that it doesn’t take as much actual heat for the VR1 nerve cells to turn on.
Researchers have found that alcohol lowers the amount of heat needed to turn on VR1 receptors by almost ten degrees. It isn’t known for sure yet, but researchers think that ethanol may lower the threshold so much around inflamed tissue that your own body temperature kicks off the VR1 nerve cell receptors. Not only does the cut hurt, but it now feels like it's on fire, as well. That’s why it doesn’t burn or hurt when water or other liquids are poured over cuts.