Please log in with your username or email to continue. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. How spicy water where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors.
To create this article, 17 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 168,096 times. Spicy foods are a staple of the cuisine in many parts of the world, so you may feel left out if your taste buds are attuned to blander fare — or burned out if you pop a pepper without knowing what you’re getting yourself into. It is always best to know your adversary before going into battle, right? Chiles are perceived as hot or spicy to us because they contain the chemical capsaicin, which enters your bloodstream and essentially convinces your body that your temperature is rising. This helps explain the sweating, flushing, and occasional light-headedness that can accompany eating spicy foods.
Carried in oils in chiles, capsaicin is also a skin and mucous membrane irritant. Capsaicin is a natural defense mechanism developed by certain plants to prevent mammals from eating them. Most mammals take the hint and move on, but not us. Think about why people subject themselves to spicy foods. Are humans just not as smart as mice, pigs, and other mammals? It probably has more to do with our brain makeup.