Why do chili peppers cause a burning sensation?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the burning sensation caused by chili peppers, exploring the chemical nature of this sensation, methods to alleviate it, and the measurement of heat in peppers. Participants share personal experiences and inquire about the underlying mechanisms, as well as cultural practices related to chili consumption.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether the burning sensation from chili peppers is due to an acid, microscopic particles, or a chemical agent.
  • Another suggests that the enjoyment of chili peppers may be linked to the release of endorphins in response to pain, similar to other painful habits.
  • It is noted that drinking water is not effective in alleviating the burning sensation, with some proposing bland foods like rice or bread as better alternatives.
  • A participant mentions using sugar water as a remedy for the burning sensation.
  • There is a request for an explanation of the Scoville scale, which measures the heat of chili peppers based on a dilution-taste test developed by Wilbur Scoville.
  • Discussion includes the measurement of heat in Scoville units, with examples of various peppers and their respective heat levels, including the Habanero and the "Red Savina" Habanero.
  • One participant points out that parrots can consume chili peppers without experiencing the burning sensation due to a lack of specific receptors.
  • Another participant mentions that milk is an effective remedy due to its fats and proteins, but raises a concern about potential digestive discomfort from consuming hot peppers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on effective remedies for the burning sensation and the biological mechanisms behind the sensation itself. There is no consensus on the best approach to alleviate the burning or the implications of chili consumption on health.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the effectiveness of remedies and the biological responses to chili consumption are based on personal experiences and anecdotal evidence, which may not be universally applicable.

enigma
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After having the unfortunate experience of biting into a chili masquerading as basil in my Ka-Pow Chicken, and suffering through the following 5 minutes while I proceeded do drink at least a gallon and a half of water (I'm going to be up all night), a question came to me:

What is it about chili's that provide the burning sensation?

Is it an acid? microscopic particles (like poison ivy)? chemical agent? nerve agent?

Anybody know?
 
Biology news on Phys.org
http://mexicanfood.about.com/library/blchiliesunmasked.htm

Also, the reason we like them is that we get high on our own pain killers - much like nail biting and other sightly painful nervous habbits.
 
Posted by enigma...
I proceeded do drink at least a gallon and a half of water

Drinking water doesn't do a lot to quench the burn. They say eating something bland such as white rice or bread can help much faster to cut the burning sensation.
 
They told me to use sugar water.

Hot, you say?
Try these babies sometime, they are arguable the hottest of them all;

http://www.goodearthliveherbs.com/habanero-hot-pepper-live-vegetable-plants/

They can burn going down, growing through, and going out again a day or two later, Mmmm, I love them!
 
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Would anybody care to explain what a Scoville is?
 
Originally posted by Lonewolf
Would anybody care to explain what a Scoville is?
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~gcaselton/chile/scoville.html

It was in 1912 whilst working for the Parke Davis pharmaceutical company that one of their chemists, Wilbur Scoville, developed a method to measure the heat level of a chile pepper. This test is named after him, it's called the Scoville Organoleptic Test, and it's a dilution-taste procedure. In the original test, Scoville blended pure ground chiles with a sugar-water solution and a panel of testers then sipped the concoctions, in increasingly diluted concentrations, until they reached the point at which the liquid no longer burned the mouth. A number was then assigned to each chile based on how much it needed to be diluted before you could taste no heat.

The pungency of chile peppers is measured in multiples of 100 units, from the bell pepper at zero Scoville units to the incendiary Habanero at 300,000 Scoville units! One part of chile "heat" per 1,000,000 drops of water rates as only 1.5 Scoville Units. The substance that makes a chile so hot (and therefore so enjoyable to Chile-Heads !), is Capsaicin. Pure Capsaicin rates over 15,000,000 Scoville Units !

Check out what that site also says about my little friend;

The "Red Savina" Habanero has been tested
at over 577,000 Scoville units!

This is so much hotter than the normal Habanero chile pepper, that the "Guinness Book of Records" have accepted it as "the hottest chile pepper" in the world. Even now, breeders are attempting to beat this. The new Francisca Habanero is said to be hotter still!

Also note that sugar is used to dilute the potency, as had been handed down to me through local 'wisdom'
 
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You realize that parrots can eat as many chillies as they want since they don't have the receptor that recognizes that it is hot..

And milk is the best thing to drink since the fats and proteins protect the receptor and wash the harmfull molecule away.
 
Originally posted by Monique
You realize that parrots can eat as many chillies as they want since they don't have the receptor that recognizes that it is hot..

And milk is the best thing to drink since the fats and proteins protect the receptor and wash the harmfull molecule away.
What about the parrot getting a tummy ache? If I can feel it burn clear through my bowels then there must be a few sensors in locations other than my mouth.

Yeah, I forgot about drinking milk. Eventually you get used to eating the 'hot stuff' and make fewer mistakes that can force you to run for help.
 

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