eli5: why do mint things (gum, toothpaste, cough drops, etc) feel like hell fire when you drink water?
In: Other
Similar to how capsaicin (pepper chemical) triggers the same nerves that detect heat, menthol (mint chemical) triggers the same nerves that detect ‘cold’. When this ‘fake’ trigger is combined with the real trigger (heat/cold), it is that much stronger.
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