Want to Know Why Spicy Foods Make Your Nose Run?
- Posted on October 6, 2011 at 1:39pm by
Liz Klimas
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Nothing can clear your nostrils out better than an Indian curry or a bowl of three-alarm chili. But why?
We wondered, too. And so we found the answer: there is actually a chemical in the plants or spices of these foods that functions as a protective mechanism against animals, and when you eat it, it affects you too. Mental Floss has more on how this works:
Capsaicin is the chemical found concentrated in the placental tissue of chile peppers and allyl isothiocyanate is an oil contained in plants like mustard and radishes (including horseradish). Plants use both of these chemicals as biological weapons against predatory animals. They irritate pretty much any soft tissue they come in contact with, which is what causes the wonderful burning sensation on your tongue. But they also cause the painful sting of post-chile-handling eye contact and a seriously runny nose. When your mucous membranes get hit by these chemicals, they become inflamed and go into defense mode. This means producing mucous to trap allergens and other undesirables, and keeping them out of your respiratory system by removing them via the nasal passage.
Mental Floss goes on to note that even though nasal congestion can be temporarily relieved by spicy foods, eating them with a cold could actually make the problem worse. Eating spicy foods causes a muscle in your nose to open and allow more air in. When the spice affect is done, it will close but you’ll be left with all the extra mucus plus congestion.
Life’s Litter Mysteries confirms that milk is the best medicine when you are in over your head with heat:
Capsaicin has an oily quality that keeps it from dissolving in water, so even guzzling straight from the tap will do you no good, and beer contains too little alcohol to have more effect than water.
Milk, on the other hand, quenches capsaicin’s fire quite effectively, according to research published in the journal Physiology & Behavior. It contains a protein called casein, which is a lipophilic (”fat-loving”) molecule that hugs the capsaicin molecules and washes them away, much like detergents wash away grease.
This same research also found that regular table sugar dissolved in cold water could be successful against capsaicin, too.
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Comments (42)
bigdaddyt46
Posted on October 8, 2011 at 8:27ami am a fire eater in that if it ain’t hot i am disappointed. my favotite? habenaro sauce. you only need a tiny drop or two to spice up your food. it is the hottest pepper around, it’s also 150 times hotter the a jalepeno pepper. i tell any and everybody then it comes to things like chili. if i’m not sweating, tears rolling down my face, nose running like a sieve, smoke out my ears, and burn marks on the seat of my pants from exiting flames then it is not hot enough
Report Post »Semper4everSemper
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 1:24amCapsaicin (what makes the peppers hot) has very strong anti-inflammatory properties. Check out the Scoville scale and compare to a list of peppers and you’ll see that the healthiest peppers (most anti-inflammation benefit) are the hottest ones. A connection to the low rate of cancers in Mexico is likely possibly due to the high rate of hot pepper consumption since connections between cancer and inflammation have recently been discovered. The absolutely hottest peppers come from India. India is of course famous for curry which has capsaicin properties. I used to occasionally put hot sauce and curry on certain foods. I’ve now taken to putting those on something every day. Haven‘t lately noticed any ’painful exits’ LOL, so maybe a ‘tolerance’ is built up over time, or maybe I just don’t feel a challenge to eat the ones at the high end of the Scoville chart.
Report Post »kindling
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 1:01amI don’t know what they are talking about. The article says it does not help colds…..not true! I make something we call “good stuff” from the hottest peppers, garlic, onions, and ginger all ground together and covered with organic apple cider vinegar. It is strained after 2 weeks and if you spray it in your throat when your getting a cold it gets rid of sore throat and makes the cold much shorter. It is great at taking care of that tickle throat. We have decided continued use of this keeps you from getting a cold because no one will get close to you.
Report Post »Asbestostongue
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 9:15pmMy username says it all. My wife calls me CHED (Chili Head). I like it HOT. Chile’s are also a great source of vitamin C.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 2:54amBe careful of the ones that only grow near a Mexican insane asylum, though.
Report Post »antiencenom
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 8:41pmI suffer from major pain and if i eat hot spicy food it aleviates alot of pain the next day
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 7:25pmTo The MEN……….
Report Post »Always,but ALWAYS remember to wash your hands after chopping up hot peppers with bare hands.The trip to the toilet to take a leak will be less painful on you know what.
Wilkins
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 11:00pmChop the jalapenos, toss them in the frying pan for breakfast, then remember you haven’t put your contact lenses in yet.
I can tell you, it doesn’t matter how much you wash your hands X-o
Report Post »zman61
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 6:39pmOk I’ll bite. Pun intended. Isn’t that the mouth of Andrea Tanteros. Anyone? Anyone?
Report Post »antiencenom
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 8:47pmReal pretty girl
Report Post »Dismayed Veteran
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 5:34pmHello stomach. Goodbye a******
Report Post »rl
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 5:32pmWant to Know Why Spicy Foods Make Your Nose Run? NO!!!!!!!
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:09pmI love my peppers. I could eat habaneros straight up for breakfast. I’m a sucker for pain.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 1:25amI know that feeling exactly. I love to eat hot peppers and curries. Sometimes it hurts like Hell and I love it! It’s like sin and punishment all in one!
Report Post »THX-1138
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:01pmEver had a HabaneroToll House cookie?
No, really, sweet…then…HEAT!
Mmmmmmmm….
Report Post »lionslayer44
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:54pmmade $10.00 for eating one once. grown by a friend in az who grows organic peppers for a living. very hot worth every penny to witness im sure. try eating your way through an ice cream headache someday eventually it stops hurting. BE PREPARED COLLECT FOOD, WATER (FILTERS), AMMO !!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Report Post »lionslayer44
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:55pmoh yeah the lion in the picture, made great chili!!!!!
Report Post »The_Postal
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:53pmMust… eat.. chili.
Report Post »jeckelmyhyde
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:34pmJust made a batch of suicide sauce with green chili, habaneros, jalapenos, and sorenos. The garden was good to me and I have enough to get through four more winters of Obama if I have to. I have found it best to be prepared because you never know what these thugs and the media will pull between now and the election..
Report Post »the hawk
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:52pmman that chic has nice teeth !
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 3:05pmThat sounds sooo good!
Report Post »Corwin525
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:20pmLighten up! A break from “community stupidity!” is welcome
Report Post »shirelover
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:17pmInteresting, a defense mechanism from a plant? Does this mean that plants have feelings too? Are we commiting genocide (plantocide?) when we eat a salad? ::giggles:: ummmm, what would the group name itself? PETP? Sorry, I couldn’t help it, but now I have a good reason NOT to eat my veggies! LOL
Report Post »People
Eating
Tasty
Animals woohoo!
banjarmon
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:08pmYummmmmmm!
Report Post »TumbleBumble
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:07pmAnd they make your heart race. I put hot peppers on everything I can, but the heart-pounding effect is the most uncomfortable part about it.
Eating a piece of bread afterwards works even better than drinking milk.
Report Post »TX_45_ACP
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:05pmYum, makes me want to fry up some ghost peppers!
Report Post »like2click
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 4:18pmI actually had some ghost peppers for the first time over the weekend. They were so much better that any other hot pepper I’d ever eaten! The flavor was outstanding! Took awhile to put out the fire though….It’s my new favorite! :)
Report Post »DanWesson455
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:02pmThis as good as the BLAZE can get? NO STORY HERE….MOVE ALONG… KEEP IT MOVING…
Report Post »crypticmitch86
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 3:02pmCalm down. Not every story needs to be about the impending collapse of the global economy. It’s nice to be able to have a conversation about the good things in life, like peppers.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:00pm.
Report Post »Want to Know Why Spicy Foods Make Your Nose Run? No, but can you tell me why it burn’s worse the next morning………..
TexasHunter
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:41pmLOL I wanna know who the woman is in the picture biting down on the pepper!
Report Post »the hawk
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 4:13pmYeah ,
Report Post »REALLY NICE TEETH , SEXY !…………………
mernijo
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 1:57pmI love spicy foods and learned that they can affect us by giving us hot flashes. I read that the Native American used chili powder tea to break up chest congestion and have found that this works for me. I am able to breath much easier and that yes, my nose runs a lot.
Report Post »motonutt
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 1:55pmEat a bunch of those and that’s not the only thing that will be running…..ouch the burn.
Report Post »JLGunner
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 1:55pmI don’t want to mix dinner and pain.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 1:51pmCapsaicin in the analgesic body cremes will feel like a sunburn. I put some on my legs one time and went for a walk. I couldn’t get home fast enough to wash it off. It left my legs red like they had been sunburned.
Report Post »motonutt
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 2:23pm@ANONYMOUS….If you think it hurts on your legs….try it in your face. I’ve been sprayed so I can carry it for my job. It hurts. And when you take a shower afterwards you don’t want to get it on the mid section if you know what I mean. Hell, it will turn a grizzly on a dime. There is a true story here where I live, where a guy sprayed a griz coming at him and he said the bear fliped over backwards at the moment of contanct…..the stuff works.
Report Post »antiencenom
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 9:31pmGot that right anony very small world
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 2:58amTry taking out a contact lens with chili oil on your finger. On second thought, don’t! I did that and it is not comfortable.
Report Post »godlovinmom
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 1:48pmI find the older I get, the more things make my nose run…eating chili peppers and the like, is just asking for it.
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