eli5: why do mint things (gum, toothpaste, cough drops, etc) feel like hell fire when you drink water?
In: Other
You have a number of temperature “setpoints”–70F is a nice day. 100F is obnoxiously hot. 40F is too cold without a sweater.
You similarly have a setpoint in your mouth–water below a certain temperature is cold. Water above a certain temperature is hot.
The active chemicals in mint, menthol, temporarily shift those setpoints down by a number of degrees. Instead of 40F being cold, it becomes chilly, and instead of 70F being nice, it becomes a bit toasty. The temperature is the same, but your perception of it changes.
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