There are different kinds of spice, and they can have different effects on our body. Some make your mouth burn, others go straight to watery eyes and a runny nose, while others just make your mouth numb. All are kinda different, but they’re all some type of spicy.
How do these interact with our body and create the different sensations we experience when we eat one of these?
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Due to the chemicals within the spices and just how our body interprets the chemicals. Its also good to note not everyone reacts the same. Some people are not affected by some of these chemicals and suffer no effects from them.
There are a few different chemicals that have that burning spice sensation. One comes from capsaicin. That’s what you find in those hot chili peppers. Purpose is to dissuade herbivores from eating them.
Another is allyl isothiocyanates which reside in radishes, from the red ones in your salad to the ground up horse radish. Different chemical, different feel, still burns, but its purpose is still the same, dissuade herbivores from eating me.
Onions got one as well, propanethial-S-oxide. This is its herbivore deterrent chemical. It also get vaporize into the air quickly and cause your eyes to burn.
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