Pepper must be amazing, so that people who like it can't stop. After eating spicy peppers, the whole mouth will catch fire, and the nose will run around in the nasal cavity, and tears will turn in the eyes. If it is more serious, you will wander. If you accidentally touch your nose, people or anywhere on your face (but don't touch your eyes! ), you immediately feel your face burning up, and soon you feel as if your whole head is swollen (if you are a big head like me, you will feel-finished! ) There must be pepper at work behind this whole reaction. Yes, this substance is capsaicin. Capsaicin is a pungent ingredient that causes all "Chili reactions". A member of the vanillic acid family, burning and pain are caused by neuronal reactions. There is a protein called vanillin receptor subtype 1 (VR 1) on the cell membrane of neurons, which is a member of TPR ion channel superfamily. TRP (instantaneous receptor potential) ion channel was first discovered in the mutant of Drosophila melanogaster. The photoreceptor of this mutant has only a short-term response to light stimulation, rather than the long-term response to light stimulation that wild-type Drosophila should show, so it is called TRP (transient receptor potential) ion channel. Most TRP channels are composed of six transmembrane α helices, the N-terminal and C-terminal of which are located in cells. A series of different TRP ion channels can respond to different temperatures. VR 1 is a nonspecific cation channel, which can let Ca2+ and Mg2+ enter neurons, cause neurons to depolarize, release some neurotransmitters and active amino acids into extracellular space, and finally cause pain. Capsaicin can combine with VR 1 to cause a series of reactions of neurons, and then make the body feel overheated or injured. So capsaicin doesn't really cause chemical burns, it just causes this feeling. If we eat a large amount of capsaicin from food rich in peppers at one time, we will feel euphoric, which is why the more we eat peppers, the more we enjoy them. It is the combination of capsaicin and VR 1 receptor that produces pain, and then these pains can stimulate the pituitary gland to secrete endorphins. Endorphins are opioid receptor activators in the body, equivalent to endogenous opium, which can relieve pain and slow down breathing. Eventually, when the pituitary gland releases enough endorphins, we will have a feeling of excitement for runners, that is, the excitement of long-distance runners after forgetting everything (alas, I have never experienced it …). However, long-term exposure to capsaicin will cause desensitization of neurons, which means that neurons are insensitive to pain. If capsaicin is removed, nerves will return to normal. Therefore, the different physiological effects of capsaicin are related to the concentration of body intake. It is capsaicin that can cause burning pain and then stimulate the body to secrete endorphins to relieve the pain. Capsaicin can be used to relieve peripheral neuralgia and made into ointment or sesame oil. In the hospital, if the pain is severe, the doctor will put on rubber gloves and masks, anesthetize the patient's painful part first, then apply capsaicin until the patient feels that the painful part begins to heat up, and then wipe it off. So the nerve forgot to report the pain to the brain because of the strong burning sensation. Over-the-counter ointment and sesame oil bought by general pharmacies to relieve pain (such as muscle pain) contain capsaicin. Well, now that you know why chili is hot and the analgesic effect of capsaicin, what you want to know most is how to relieve the burning sensation of your tongue after eating chili. Studies have shown that milk is the most effective way to relieve the spicy taste (unfortunately, it is not cold beer! ), as well as yogurt, ice cream, juice, candy and other foods with high sugar content. Of course, we also want to mention the necessary equipment for women's riot prevention-pepper powder (Chili powder) sprayer. You know, spraying a little pepper will not kill the abuser, but will make him live in pain. However, it should be mentioned that the sprayer must be aimed at the eyes, nose and mouth. If you are unlucky, the guy is wearing glasses and a mask, you'd better cut him open with a knife first, and then spray it on the wound-of course, you can also take off his glasses and mask … and run away. In places where squirrels are rampant abroad, peppers are added to bird food to feed birds. Birds don't feel hot, but they can drive away squirrels that steal food. Excessive capsaicin can also cause death. After excessive inhalation, people will have symptoms such as difficulty breathing, blue skin and convulsions. In India, some infanticide cases kill babies with peppers ... The role of capsaicin: helping digestion and enhancing perspiration and cooling, such as antipyretic and anti-infection, promoting the functions of kidney, lung, stomach and heart, relieving chronic pain, migraine, joint pain, sports injury, neuropathic pain, cancer pain and so on to prevent skin cancer in mice. Anti-riot side effects of inhibiting the proliferation of human cancer cells: hypersensitivity: allergy and colitis, abnormal strengthening of coagulation and defecation, causing diarrhea and skin blisters, relieving dermatitis and cough, causing renal liver injury, chronic gastritis and neurotoxicity. In other words, eating pepper has many benefits, which can promote digestion, resist infection, prevent cancer and lose weight. Of course, if you are allergic to Chili, you should be careful. Qiao Baba's post: 142 Registration: 2008-12-017: 33 Top reply: Why are peppers hot? Why do you like peppers? [Reference] By Qiao Baba? 0? 3 2009-12-1916:15 capsaicin (8- methyl -N- vanillyl -6- nonene) is the active ingredient of pepper. It is irritating to mammals, including humans, and can produce a burning sensation in the mouth. Capsaicin and some related compounds are also called capsaicin. They are secondary metabolites produced by capsicum plants and can be used to stop herbivores. Generally speaking, birds are not sensitive to capsaicin. Pure capsaicin is a hydrophobic, lipophilic, colorless and tasteless crystalline or waxy compound. Capsaicin is the main capsaicin in pepper, and dihydrocapsaicin ranks second. These two compounds are almost twice as hot as nordihydrocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin and homocapsaicin. The dilute solution of different pure capsaicin can give people different spicy feeling, but its concentrated solution does not have this feeling. Food has a burning sensation when it touches the human body surface, so it is often used as the source of fragrance or burning sensation (spicy sensation) in ingredients. The degree of burning sensation in food is measured by Shi Gaubil index. Because the concentration of capsaicin in pepper is not high, considering the safety, pepper has become a typical source of capsaicin. The best way to reduce the burning sensation in the mouth and throat is to eat cold food or cold drink, such as yogurt, ice cream or milk; Or it can be supplemented with sweets, such as juice, sugar or candy. Because pure capsaicin is insoluble in water, but soluble in oil and pure alcohol, it is often recommended to eat oily food, such as bread and butter, whole milk or whipped cream, to reduce the burning sensation (assuming that oily food can take away capsaicin). However, the effectiveness of these techniques is still doubtful, because the burning sensation will gradually disappear even without any treatment. Capsaicin pleasure "Capsaicin pleasure" is a kind of euphoria caused by eating a lot of foods rich in capsaicin. Its theoretical basis is that the pungent sensation of capsaicin makes people release endorphins, and enough endorphins can usually make people feel "runner's excitement".