If you love spicy foods, then this is for you. While I was reading Uncle John’s Bathroom reader, I came across their article about Chile peppers, it’s really interesting so I wanna share what I’ve learned. Actually, Chile shouldn’t be called chile “peppers” because they are part of the Solanaceae, or night shade, family and are more closely related to potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes. But chiles have been known as chile “peppers” ever since, thanks to Columbus.
Remember when he arrived in the New World, he thought he’d landed in India. So he named the people he met there Indians. Well, that wasn’t the only mistake he made: When his hosts served a spicy food containing hot chiles, he assumed the chiles were realted to piper nigrum, the plant that produces black pepper. So that was how it got “peppers” after it’s name.

What Makes Them Hot?

• They contain a powerful alkaloid called capsaicin — and which isn’t found in any other plants. It’s so potent that humans can detect it even when it’s diluted to one part per million.

• The capsaicinoids, as they’re also known, are produced in the plant by the placenta — the part just below the stem of the chile. That’s also where the seeds and the “ribs” grow. On average, these parts are 16 times hotter than the rest of the plant, so one way to “cool down” a chile, is to remove the placenta.

• How hot is capsaicin? It’s so strong that it’s the main ingredient in a product designed to drive grizzly bears away. It’s also the “pepper” in pepper spray, which has replaced the tear gas spray. According to Smithsonian magazine, when sprayed in the face, “it causes eyes to slam shut and creates a spasm in the respiratory system — a very unpleasant experience that lasts 30-45 minutes!” So imagine if you would spray it on a thief! Ha! Serves them right! Women should always bring a pepper spray in case of emergency.

What Makes Them So Good?

• When you eat chiles, capsaicin irritates the pain receptor cells in your mouth.

• Some scientists believe the receptors then release something known as “substance P”, which rushes to “alert” the brain to the pain. In response, the brain produces chemicals called endorphins that kill the pain and elecit feelings of well-being.

• In fact, some experts theorize that it’s the addictive nature of endorphins, not the taste of the chiles themselves, that makes the spice so popular.

How To Cool It Down?

My cousin told me that whenever I eat something so spicy, I should drink cold milk. If you eat something spicy, you shouldn’t drink cold water, because it will probably make things worse by spreading the capsaicin around. The  best way to put out that fire in your mouth is to drink cold milk or eat any dairy products with lactic acid like frozen yogurt. They contain casein, which acts like a detergent to help wash away the capsaicin. Other recommended foods: sugar, salt, tortillas, brandy Alexander, hunks of bread, and corn.

Health Notes

An Epidemiologists form Yale University and the Mexico National Institute of Public Health concluded that chile peppers can cause stomach cancer. However, peppers also contain quercetin, a chemical shown to reduce cancer risk in lab animals. Of course, animals and humans has their differences, so we shouldn’t always rely on animal test results.

Too much chile might cause:

• Salsa Sniffles. “Sweating and rhinitis (runny nose) caused by eating hot pepeers”
• Hunan hand. “The skin irritation that comes from chopping chilies, so make sure you protect you hands by wearing gloves while chopping.
• Jaloprocitis. “The burn jalapeños leave as they exit the body”

But according to a book called The healing powers of Chili:

• A 1986 experiment at Oxford University in England found that eating chiles may assist in burning calories.
• The popular muscle salve Heet is made mostly of capsaicin.
• Chilies are low in fat, high in fiber, and loaded with beta carotene and vitamin C. On half cup of chopped chile peppers offers more than twice the vitamin C of an orange.
• Capsaicin is a natural antibiotic, slowing down bacteria’s growth.
• A few more ailments that have been treated with capsaicin: indigestion, acne, alcoholism, arthritis, bronchitis, cramps, hemorrhoids, herpes, low blood pressure, shingles, wounds.

To sum it all up, chiles are also good for our body, but too much might cause harm to it. So if you’re a hardcore chile eater, you might wanna slow down on eating spicy foods for a while.