Food is the basis of all life of any living being and what we eat reflects ourselves, but do we know enough about the products that make up our daily diet? For example, do you know what substance gives peppers a burning taste and why fresh fish has such a pungent smell? How did it turn out to bring seedless grapes and why at moments when we are sad we want carbohydrates so much? The answers to these and many other questions are waiting for you in the continuation of the article.

Why is pepper hot?

Capsaicin, which is contained in it, gives spiciness to pepper - it acts on the nerve endings responsible for temperature changes, sending nerve impulses. Thus, it's all about the brain, which receives pain signals from the body.

To some, cilantro actually tastes like soap. It's all about the OR6A2 gene, which is very sensitive to aldehydes, which give cilantro its characteristic taste and smell and smell of soap.

Why does fish have a strong odor?

The fishy smell is caused by a substance called trimethylamine. Trimethylamine is essential for fish to survive in lower temperature environments. In addition, it is involved in the processes of decomposition of plants and animals. By the way, trimethylamine is the cause of bad breath.

Why does an egg harden when boiled?

Can a boiled egg be turned into a liquid?

Theoretically yes, practically no. Scientists have come up with a way to return the molecules to their original position. But this process requires the use of chemicals that should not be eaten. But technically, it's possible.

How are seedless grapes made?

In fact, seedless grapes are clones of genetically mutated grapes that were seedless, or varieties that have been bred to have fewer seeds than normal. Unlike animals, some plants are asexual and therefore easy to clone. Under certain conditions, plant cells are easily cloned.

Why does alcohol affect mental clarity?

There are several reasons for this. First, alcohol promotes the formation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Second, it blocks access to glutamate, another important chemical responsible for memory and learning. Without it, the brain has a hard time.

Why is it undesirable to mix alcoholic beverages?

It's not about mixing different types of alcohol, but in the order in which they are consumed. When you drink low-alcohol drinks, you get drunk gradually and slowly. If, after low-alcohol drinks, you switch to drinks with a high degree, then, as a rule, the portion remains the same and you can get drunk much faster.

Why do we crave carbs in times of sadness and sadness?

Carbohydrates promote the production of serotonin, the happiness hormone that plays a big role in mood regulation. If you are sad, eat a piece of chocolate - and life will become more fun. But even if everything is so good, a couple of sweets also do not hurt.

Why is the bad always better than the good?

It so happened that high-calorie food increases the chances of survival. Now calories are readily available, we do not burn how much, how much we consume. However, nature has it that whenever we get a chance, we should eat.

It's no secret that cooking today is simply fashionable. This is facilitated by TV programs with the participation of stars, which literally fill up with a variety of seductive recipes. So lovers of Mexican or other cuisine, whose dishes contain hot peppers (chili or other varieties), also prefer to cook their favorite dishes themselves. But it is unlikely that a person who does not have a special cooking education can imagine that you can get a serious burn when cutting hot peppers.

Usually, we do not think about safety in the kitchen when we cut hot peppers, and we neglect the elementary protection of the skin of the hands, for example. Moreover, pepper burn on the oral mucosa is not uncommon if you are not careful when using hot peppers. You need to be careful not only during the preparation of food and in the process of eating, but also during the harvest of this spicy vegetable. Also, a burn can be obtained if the pepper patch is used incorrectly, as well as if locally irritating masks are applied incorrectly in cosmetology.

Why hot peppers burn or how capsaicin works

Meanwhile, such an injury as a burn with red pepper, as well as green, is quite understandable. The fact is that the composition of chili peppers includes an active substance that gives it a burning sensation. It is called capsaicin or 8-methyl 6-nonenoic acid vanillamide, which is a fairly stable chemical compound. This fatty acid, which is part of hot pepper, does not have a pronounced color and is pungent in taste. It should be noted that capsaicin does not dissolve in alkaline water-based solutions. That is, if you, in search of a remedy for a pepper burn, come across a recommendation to treat it with soda dissolved in water, then you are unlikely to succeed. On the other hand, the active substance of chili pepper can be easily dissolved in organic solvents, fats or ethyl alcohol.

How to avoid

The well-known proverb “God saves the safe” perfectly reflects the essence of prevention against pepper burns. When using pepper in cooking, latex gloves must be used to avoid injury. The same should be done when harvesting all hot and bitter types of peppers.

If you are preparing a spicy dish with special gloves, then you should not rub your nose or eyes with your hands in seals, and even touch other, exposed areas of the skin. And in order to protect the mucous membrane and prevent burns, you do not need to use this seasoning in large quantities.

But what to do with a skin burn with an active substance contained in hot, bitter and hot peppers? This question torments several million people who have already fallen into a similar mess. First of all, remembering the nature of capsaicin (organic fatty acid), the burn site should be smeared with salt slightly moistened with water, which after a while will need to be washed off with milk. In this case, for a burn, we use salt as an alkali and milk as a fat, which also dissolves capsaicin well.

If you were lucky enough to eat a large, hot slice of Mexican Paulista Cake, then given the good solubility of the active substance of red pepper in alcohol, you can drink some alcohol. Also, in order to reduce the burning sensation, you can take a sip of vegetable oil or other fatty drink, such as yogurt, milk or cream. From the consequences of swallowing an excessive amount of hot pepper, they say, the eaten cucumber, a spoonful of honey, a pinch of salt, a slice of bread or a glass of creamy ice cream helps.

But, despite the variety of popular advice, doctors recommend treating the pepper burn with a spray containing lidocaine. This should be done only if there are no contraindications. Very rarely, pepper burns can cause complications such as nausea, corneal damage, or breathing problems. You may also experience: dermatitis, epistaxis, or even neuralgic disorders. Therefore, immediately after you have relieved the pain with a spray, you should definitely go to the doctor.

In order to avoid pepper burns on hands , the collection and processing of peppers must be approached with caution, while wearing latex gloves. And in order to avoid the need to treat the mucosa with painkillers, spicy dishes containing hot peppers are best eaten carefully, washed down with small amounts of alcohol, for example. And if you have a sensitive mucous membrane, then it is better to refrain from such food altogether.

Great sweating, runny nose and burning in the throat. It looks like the symptoms of the disease, but this is a typical reaction to eaten hot peppers.

Every fourth person eats hot peppers every day. Why is a product that causes burning and discomfort so popular? If you learn more about its useful properties, then this is not surprising.

Chile comes from the warm regions of America. Chili has been known there since 7000 BC. To this day, they remain a popular ingredient in Mexican and South American cuisine.

Columbus was the first to name the pepper chili. He mistakenly thought that chili? a relative of black pepper, the most pungent plant in the Old World.

Black pepper belongs to the pepper family, but chili? to the nightshade family, like tomatoes and potatoes. Chile immediately became popular in certain regions of Europe, because it was a cheap alternative to expensive black pepper.

Chili soon spread to Asia, Africa and other tropical regions, where they became even more popular. It is impossible to imagine Indian, Thai or Sichuan cuisine without this spicy seasoning.

life spice

Chile? an economical way to add spice to unleavened food. But there is another reason why it has become such an important part of traditional cuisine. According to a 1998 report by biologists at Cornell University, the main reason? its ability to "kill bacteria and fungi in food".

Before the invention of refrigerators, spoiled food easily caused poisoning and death, especially in tropical regions. Chili not only gave the food a spicy taste, but also made it safe.

Studies show that chili reduces the risk of Salmonella, Listeria and other pathogenic bacteria and fungi. According to other studies, capsaicin, a pungent tasting substance, helps against cancer.

Pain Remedy

The botanical name for the chili pepper is Capsicum. This name comes from the Greek "bite".

Capsaicin? an odorless, oily alkaloid contained in the shell of the pepper that holds the seeds inside the fruit. When capsaicin comes into contact with any part of the body, a burning sensation occurs that lasts from a few seconds to several days. Mucous membranes are especially sensitive to this substance. Anyone who has accidentally rubbed their eyes while slicing a japapeño will attest to this.

From poblano and cayenne to habanero? The hotness of different varieties of pepper is different. In 1912, pharmacist Wilbur Scoville developed a scale for estimating the spiciness of chili. The Scoville system describes how many cups of water it takes to get rid of the burning sensation in the tongue after eating a certain pepper. For example, capsicum is zero on this scale? it does not leave a burning sensation. Jalapenos have a rating of 5,000 to 15,000 points, while cayenne peppers sometimes reach 100,000 points.

Peppers keep getting hot

Over the past few years, several new records have been set. Recently, Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper) was considered the hottest pepper. Its pungency reached 1,000,000 points. But he lost the title to the Trinidad Scorpion with 2,000,000 points. Its pungency is comparable to pepper spray. In 2014, the Carolina Reaper entered the Guinness Book of Records as the hottest pepper in the world? 2,200,000 points.

Botanical illustration of cayenne pepper by Frank Eugen Kohler. Photo: Public Domain

For a plant that causes so much discomfort, pepper is extremely safe. According to one study, in order to die, you have to eat 1.3 kg of the most hot pepper. Considering that most people cannot safely eat even one chili pod, the likelihood of pepper poisoning is negligible.

In fact, capsaicin has a positive effect on the body. It can be used to treat chronic pain. Commission E, the German commission that regulates herbal medicine, has approved cayenne pepper as a topical treatment for muscle cramps. The US Food and Drug Administration approved arthritis ointments containing 0.25 percent capsaicin. According to some studies, carsaicin is effective for cluster headaches.

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It seems incredible that a substance that causes pain relieves pain. But capsaicin affects the body's chemistry. The application of capsaicin depletes the neurotransmitters that signal pain, and the painful sensations subside. But first, the ointment causes a burning sensation.

Cansaicin concentrated ointment is only available at doctor's offices. To use such a burning ointment, the patient is first given local anesthesia.

Does capsaicin also trigger the release of endorphins? happiness hormone secreted by the pituitary gland in response to pain. Those who endure the terrible sensations of eating a very hot pepper then experience a euphoria that can last for hours.

Digestion

In traditional herbal medicine, chili is considered a stimulant. It is often used to improve slow digestion. In herbal medicine for constipation, it is recommended to add a lot of chili peppers to food.

Hot pepper does not harm the lining of the intestinal walls. It used to be that hot peppers aggravated stomach ulcers. But according to new research, it helps cure it. However, people who suffer from an irritable digestive system, such as irritable bowel syndrome, should avoid chili as it will exacerbate these symptoms.

Cayenne pepper, illustration by Leonhart Fuchs. Photo: Public Domain

Benefits for the heart

Hot pepper not only helps with a number of ailments, but also enhances the effect of other herbs when used in herbal formulas. Therefore, some herbalists add cayenne pepper to almost all formulas.

One of the admirers of cayenne pepper is Samuel Thomson, the father of American herbal medicine. In the early 19th century, Western physicians were still using bloodletting to treat illnesses. Thomson became interested in medicinal plants used by the Indians. His favorite plants were cayenne pepper and lobelia.

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According to Dr. John Christopher, 20th-century herbalist, “cayenne pepper? one of the best plants ever." His daily diet included a tablespoon of cayenne pepper diluted in a glass of water. According to Dr. Christopher, cayenne pepper? one of the best remedies for cardiovascular diseases. According to him, a strong decoction of cayenne pepper can even save a person from a heart attack.

Chile improves heart function, prevents blood clots in blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure and dilates arteries. A pinch of cayenne powder sprinkled on a wound will stop the bleeding in a minute and usually without pain.

Due to its antimicrobial action, hot pepper is a good remedy for flu and colds. Pepper kills germs and relieves cold symptoms. Capsaicin thins mucus, which will help get rid of stuffy nose and mucus congestion in the lungs.

How to use?

If you want to get regular doses of capsaicin to treat a specific condition, there are cayenne pepper tinctures and capsules. But it is much more interesting to consume it with food. In addition to capsaicin, chili peppers contain a large amount of vitamins A, B, C, E, calcium, phosphorus and iron.

There are many ways to include capsaicin in your diet: fresh chopped peppers, dried flakes, cayenne pepper powder, chili vinegar, or hot chili sauce. Hot sauce is easy to make at home. Take salt, vinegar, garlic and a few spicy varieties (raw or roasted) and blend everything in a blender.

How to understand that chili is too much?

It can only determine your language. Tolerance to hot pepper varies from person to person. But the more often you eat chili, the more you get used to the heat.

If you have eaten too much chili, do not drink water. This will only increase the pain. It is better to eat pepper with starchy food: bread, rice or potatoes. And the best remedy? milk. Dairy products contain the substance casein, which neutralizes capsaicin.

It has long been known that red hot pepper has many beneficial properties. For example, when consumed, it perfectly relieves the body of harmful substances and microbes, promotes better digestion and can relieve toothache.

In addition, hot hot pepper has a positive effect on the well-being of a person as a whole, adding to him a charge of vivacity and energy throughout the day, and most importantly, it is absolutely harmless to the stomach.

But despite all the merits of pepper, sometimes a situation arises when it is simply necessary to urgently get rid of a terrible burning sensation in the mouth. So, if it so happened that you swallowed too much red pepper, and if the hot pepper burns in your mouth very strongly, then ... you need to remember one very important rule to begin with: Never drink red pepper immediately with water.

How to soothe a burning sensation in the mouth from red pepper

The fact is that red hot peppers contain a substance called capsaicin, thanks to which the pepper has such a specific taste. This substance is insoluble in water, and therefore, washing down the "fire" with a glass of water, you will only increase the discomfort. The same applies to tea.

• In such a situation, something dairy or sour-milk, for example, milk or yogurt, will help best. It is desirable that these products are cold, so they can deal with pepper more effectively.

• Surprisingly, alcohol also fights red pepper well. It is preferable if it is a glass of wine or beer.

• If there is nothing from alcoholic drinks or sour-milk on hand, boiled potatoes or any other boiled vegetables will help to quickly extinguish the flame in the mouth.

• In extreme cases, a piece of white or black bread will help out well, which will quickly help absorb the burning oil of red pepper and relieve the burning sensation.

These are the main tips on what to do if hot pepper burns in your mouth, which will help you quickly and successfully remove the unpleasant sensations from eating it in large quantities.

The name chili pepper was given personally by Christopher Columbus by analogy with the well-known seasoning from South India. The prefix "chili" means "red" in the Aztec language. Both the famous traveler and the natives appreciated the benefits of the plant.

Benefits of chili pepper

Despite the name, chili peppers have no botanical relationship to black pepper. Plants belong to different families and grow in different parts of the world. They are related only by their culinary purpose: most peoples of the world are familiar with different types of peppers and use them as seasonings.

Chili peppers are native to South America. Aborigines cultivated the plant about 6 thousand years ago in Ecuador. Now the family includes hundreds of types of pepper, which differ in the degree of hotness.

The strong pungent taste is due to the high content of the alkaloid capsaicin. Its highest concentration is in the white pulp and small seeds inside the fruit. Ordinary vegetables contain a very small amount of this substance, for example, bell pepper - only 0.03%. To assess the pungency of capsicums, the American chemist Wilbur Scoville developed a scale based on his own subjective sensations. Scoville dissolved extracts of different peppers in sugar syrup until their taste ceased to be felt. The more syrup required, the hotter the pepper was considered. According to the ranking, the world's hottest pepper Naga Jolokia from India has a capsaicin index of 1.04 million SHU. This means that the burning taste ceases to be felt if 1 g of the extract is dissolved in 1000 liters of sugar syrup!

Indian Naga Jolokia pepper is so pungent that it can cause irritation even if it is simply applied to the skin, and rubber gloves are recommended when handling it. Its Scoville index is 1.04 million SHU. At the same time, American pepper sprays for self-defense have an indicator of 2 million.

Hot pepper is widely used in the medical industry. On the basis of capsaicin, frostbite ointments, alcohol tinctures, medical plasters and therapeutic toothpastes are made, which accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissues of the oral mucosa and have a weak analgesic effect. What else is useful for chili peppers?

Pepper against germs

The natural purpose of capsaicin is to protect the plant from pathogenic organisms. When eating pepper, the body increases its immunity. Chili pepper is especially effective in the treatment of rhinitis and colds. In addition, plant extracts were given to the wounded during military conflicts, when there was not enough medicine.

Capsaicin inhibits the bacterium helicobacter pylori - the main "culprit" of gastritis and stomach ulcers. In addition, capsaicin can act as a powerful antioxidant that protects cells from free radicals.

Capsaicin and essential oil increase blood flow to the pelvic organs and tone the nervous system

Pepper and male potency

It is believed that the Indians of South America were the first to add hot peppers to food in order to increase potency. Capsaicin and essential oil increase blood flow to the pelvic organs and tone the nervous system.

At the same time, a water-alcohol solution infused with pepper has the opposite effect, inhibiting the reproductive system.

Pepper burns fat

Scientists from the University of California have concluded that chili peppers can help burn fat in the body. Capsaicin activates the process of fat oxidation.

Researchers from Purdue University have shown that red pepper in small quantities suppresses appetite if a person does not usually consume spicy food. Red pepper increases body temperature and speeds up metabolic processes. According to the authors of the work, pepper should be consumed in its usual form, and not in capsules.

Also, chili pepper is often used in the manufacture of anti-cellulite preparations. It causes a rush of blood to problem areas and stimulates the breakdown of fat cells, creating the effect of "orange peel".

Pepper lowers blood pressure

Chinese doctors from the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing claim that chili peppers can lower blood pressure. In experiments with laboratory mice, capsaicin relaxed blood vessels. Chile increased the production of nitric oxide, which is known for its protective properties against inflammation and vascular dysfunction.

Chinese doctors cannot yet say how much pepper should be consumed per day in order to protect their blood vessels.

Pepper and cancer

A group of researchers from the University of Nottingham found that hot peppers can kill cancer cells. This idea was prompted by the fact that peoples who traditionally consume hot peppers for food are less susceptible to this disease.

It turned out that capsaicin affects the mitochondria - "energy stations" - of malignant cells. Capsaicin binds to mitochondrial proteins and stimulates the processes of apoptosis - self-destruction of the cell. In this case, capsaicin attacks only cancer cells, not affecting healthy ones.

However, there is also an opposite opinion. Scientists from the University of Minnesota have found that capsaicin can also act as a carcinogen, especially in the early stages of tumor development.