An autopsy of a Massachusetts teen who died after participating in a spicy tortilla chip challenge says his death was caused by eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract.
Capsaicin isn’t a spice*. It’s not even a flavonoid. That is to say, it doesn’t trigger or act against the taste receptors in your tongue.
What the stuff does is trigger the heat receptors in your mouth (and skin and everywhere else you have heat receptors.) causing your body to feel like it’s burning.
“Spiciness” is what happens when your flavor receptors get overloaded. If you want to experience it, go get fresh garlic and chew a raw whole clove. (Do NOT swallow. And be prepared for massive indigestion. Raw garlic is not to be trifled with.) or maybe take the cinnamon challenge (spoonful, hold it in your mouth. Do not swallow,)
In any case capsaicin itself causes happy-hormones to be released, as a result of the sensation of being burned through. (The sensation also causes increased heart rate and that can get excessive, too.)(the people that like super-hot peppers are masochists.)
(*Spices are technically parts of plants used for flavor that generally aren’t the leaves. So the pepper itself can be a spice, don’t get me wrong. Most are quite fruity. The vast majority of people are not using hot peppers for that fruitiness, though.)
(Gonna get downvoted here, but hear me out here,)
Capsaicin isn’t a spice*. It’s not even a flavonoid. That is to say, it doesn’t trigger or act against the taste receptors in your tongue.
What the stuff does is trigger the heat receptors in your mouth (and skin and everywhere else you have heat receptors.) causing your body to feel like it’s burning.
“Spiciness” is what happens when your flavor receptors get overloaded. If you want to experience it, go get fresh garlic and chew a raw whole clove. (Do NOT swallow. And be prepared for massive indigestion. Raw garlic is not to be trifled with.) or maybe take the cinnamon challenge (spoonful, hold it in your mouth. Do not swallow,)
In any case capsaicin itself causes happy-hormones to be released, as a result of the sensation of being burned through. (The sensation also causes increased heart rate and that can get excessive, too.)(the people that like super-hot peppers are masochists.)
(*Spices are technically parts of plants used for flavor that generally aren’t the leaves. So the pepper itself can be a spice, don’t get me wrong. Most are quite fruity. The vast majority of people are not using hot peppers for that fruitiness, though.)