If spicy is not a taste, but pain: Does it do actual damage?

Question

Spicy is perceived by the same receptors as the feelings hot and/or pain. But is this just some “trickery” of the receptors or does spicy food do actual damage? And if it doesn’t do actual damage: Why do people sometimes still throw up because of it (if it was too much)?

In: 212

Answer 1

It does irritate and inflame the mucus membranes, but the effect damage is minimal and temporary.

The capsaicin in a pepper that triggers the sensation of pain, is the same chemical compound found in Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray aka pepper spray.

That gives you an idea of what happens, albeit on a much more mild scale.