Eli5: What happens to our tastebuds when we eat something sour or spicy, how does it let our brain know

Question

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In: 4

Answer 1

Capsaicin evolved in chilis to inhibit microbial growth and stop pests from eating the fruit and dropping the seeds on the ground. Inside your mouth, capsaicin reacts with thermoreceptors that tell your brain how hot (thermally, as in temperature) the thing you’re eating is. The effect of this interaction is that your brain thinks your mouth is several degrees hotter than it really is.