Capsaicin

About five years ago, reports surfaced of an East Indian chile pepper that was trumpeted as the hottest in the world - twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper, which held the Guinness title at the time. This intrigued Paul Bosland, director of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. He noted that no one had verified how hot this little chile pepper really was - and decided to find out for himself. In 2001, Bosland managed to obtain seeds of the mystery pepper from a colleague who had recently returned from India.

Many of us have eaten unbelievably hot or spicy food -- either by mistake or on purpose at one time or another. And while there are numerous ingredients that can spice up a dish, chile peppers are one of the most commonly used to give heat, flavor and color to food throughout the world. But not all chile peppers taste incredibly hot. Each type of chile pepper varies in flavor according to the concentration of capsaicin -- the naturally occurring ingredient in chile peppers. According to New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute, capsaicin -- produced in the membrane of a chile pepper -- is the chemical that causes the burning sensation in the mouth, throat and stomach when a chile pepper is eaten.

Q. About a year ago you wrote that some people use spicy gumbo soup to alleviate migraines. I have been looking for a solution for food allergy headaches and was willing to try almost anything. I started eating green chili peppers daily. Within two weeks I began to dream about sex! I am 72 and haven't had sexy dreams for ages. I still have my allergy problem, but now I have a sex-awareness problem as well. For some reason I can't stop eating green chili peppers. Do you think there's a connection?

About five years ago, reports surfaced of an East Indian chile pepper that was trumpeted as the hottest in the world - twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper, which held the Guinness title at the time. This intrigued Paul Bosland, director of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. He noted that no one had verified how hot this little chile pepper really was - and decided to find out for himself. In 2001, Bosland managed to obtain seeds of the mystery pepper from a colleague who had recently returned from India.

John is a hot pepper junkie. While his addiction is perfectly legal, he keeps searching for hotter chile peppers. Hardly a day goes by that John doesn't get a big dose of capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot sauce.When a report surfaced early this year that hot peppers had been linked to stomach cancer, John was devastated. He even tried to control his craving. But he wasn't able to go cold turkey on chiles. Sometimes he would sneak salsa on the side when his wife wasn't watching.Now, reanalysis of the data should make John and millions of other pepper heads happy.

Q.We were glad to see your article about hot, spicy soup for headaches. My husband has been plagued with headaches from an early age. Using hot salsa with chips at the onset of a headache has definitely stopped two headaches! I am attempting to find capsaicin in another form. The health food store has cayenne pepper capsules that contain capsaicin. Do you think they would help? A.The people who have shared their experience with fast relief have used hot and spicy soups. Capsaicin gives hot peppers their kick, and we suspect this is responsible for the pain relief.

Talk about the point of no return: You've put too much chili pepper in the chili.The pain blazes through your mouth like wildfire until it feels as though your head will explode.Don't reach for water; instead, try milk.Dairy products are the best treatment for a mouth afire, says Albuquerque, N.M., chili expert Dave DeWitt. That's why you find side dishes containing yogurt in Indian cuisine, creamy iced coffee in Thai restaurants and sour cream on your enchiladas."There are two factors that control the amount of heat," Mr. DeWitt says.

Using brain scans, acupuncture and the nasty stuff that puts the sting in pepper spray, researchers are learning how placebos play out in our brains. These innocuous medications - long used as decoys in clinical drug trials - aren't supposed to have real chemical effect on the body. But experience over the years has taught doctors that some patients who take placebos experience real relief. Now brain scans show that when test subjects think a placebo is a real medication or treatment, the expectation of relief can release natural painkillers.

Many of us have eaten unbelievably hot or spicy food -- either by mistake or on purpose at one time or another. And while there are numerous ingredients that can spice up a dish, chile peppers are one of the most commonly used to give heat, flavor and color to food throughout the world. But not all chile peppers taste incredibly hot. Each type of chile pepper varies in flavor according to the concentration of capsaicin -- the naturally occurring ingredient in chile peppers. According to New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute, capsaicin -- produced in the membrane of a chile pepper -- is the chemical that causes the burning sensation in the mouth, throat and stomach when a chile pepper is eaten.

Q. I would like to thank you and the gentleman who wrote to you about salsa relieving the symptoms of psoriasis. After years of salves, ointments and other topical medications (extremely expensive), I tried salsa, and the psoriasis is slowly disappearing. The only other therapy that helped me was PUVA light treatments, but I worried about skin cancer as a side effect. I've eaten salsa every other day since your article appeared, with surprisingly good results. I hope other people will benefit.

We show our love on Valentine's Day by indulging our loved ones with lots of good things to eat and drink. With a special Valentine's dinner, the more courses the better. It usually includes a super-rich dessert, and don't forget the big box of chocolates! But richer and bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to your heart. According to the American Heart Association, we eat too much of the wrong foods and too little of the right ones. Too much fat, sugar and salt and too few lean meats, whole grains, veggies and fruits.

Using brain scans, acupuncture and the nasty stuff that puts the sting in pepper spray, researchers are learning how placebos play out in our brains. These innocuous medications - long used as decoys in clinical drug trials - aren't supposed to have real chemical effect on the body. But experience over the years has taught doctors that some patients who take placebos experience real relief. Now brain scans show that when test subjects think a placebo is a real medication or treatment, the expectation of relief can release natural painkillers.

Even if I didn't love Caribbean shrimp, Greek salad, fajitas, black bean soup with sherry-steeped chiles and fresh-out-of-the garden salsa, I'd grow hot peppers. "Most are really beautiful," says Steven Bellavia, vegetable product manager at Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine. "They look wonderful growing." But while beauty counts, for most of the world, use matters more. Hot peppers, also known as chiles, many of which originated in South America, now add zest, flavor and, in some cases, take-the-top-of-your-head-off heat to a host of dishes ranging from traditional Indonesian, African and Asian cuisine to more modern Mexican and fusion.

Q. About a year ago you wrote that some people use spicy gumbo soup to alleviate migraines. I have been looking for a solution for food allergy headaches and was willing to try almost anything. I started eating green chili peppers daily. Within two weeks I began to dream about sex! I am 72 and haven't had sexy dreams for ages. I still have my allergy problem, but now I have a sex-awareness problem as well. For some reason I can't stop eating green chili peppers. Do you think there's a connection?

Q.We were glad to see your article about hot, spicy soup for headaches. My husband has been plagued with headaches from an early age. Using hot salsa with chips at the onset of a headache has definitely stopped two headaches! I am attempting to find capsaicin in another form. The health food store has cayenne pepper capsules that contain capsaicin. Do you think they would help? A.The people who have shared their experience with fast relief have used hot and spicy soups. Capsaicin gives hot peppers their kick, and we suspect this is responsible for the pain relief.

Q. I would like to thank you and the gentleman who wrote to you about salsa relieving the symptoms of psoriasis. After years of salves, ointments and other topical medications (extremely expensive), I tried salsa, and the psoriasis is slowly disappearing. The only other therapy that helped me was PUVA light treatments, but I worried about skin cancer as a side effect. I've eaten salsa every other day since your article appeared, with surprisingly good results. I hope other people will benefit.

Even if I didn't love Caribbean shrimp, Greek salad, fajitas, black bean soup with sherry-steeped chiles and fresh-out-of-the garden salsa, I'd grow hot peppers. "Most are really beautiful," says Steven Bellavia, vegetable product manager at Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine. "They look wonderful growing." But while beauty counts, for most of the world, use matters more. Hot peppers, also known as chiles, many of which originated in South America, now add zest, flavor and, in some cases, take-the-top-of-your-head-off heat to a host of dishes ranging from traditional Indonesian, African and Asian cuisine to more modern Mexican and fusion.

We show our love on Valentine's Day by indulging our loved ones with lots of good things to eat and drink. With a special Valentine's dinner, the more courses the better. It usually includes a super-rich dessert, and don't forget the big box of chocolates! But richer and bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to your heart. According to the American Heart Association, we eat too much of the wrong foods and too little of the right ones. Too much fat, sugar and salt and too few lean meats, whole grains, veggies and fruits.

John is a hot pepper junkie. While his addiction is perfectly legal, he keeps searching for hotter chile peppers. Hardly a day goes by that John doesn't get a big dose of capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot sauce.When a report surfaced early this year that hot peppers had been linked to stomach cancer, John was devastated. He even tried to control his craving. But he wasn't able to go cold turkey on chiles. Sometimes he would sneak salsa on the side when his wife wasn't watching.Now, reanalysis of the data should make John and millions of other pepper heads happy.

Talk about the point of no return: You've put too much chili pepper in the chili.The pain blazes through your mouth like wildfire until it feels as though your head will explode.Don't reach for water; instead, try milk.Dairy products are the best treatment for a mouth afire, says Albuquerque, N.M., chili expert Dave DeWitt. That's why you find side dishes containing yogurt in Indian cuisine, creamy iced coffee in Thai restaurants and sour cream on your enchiladas."There are two factors that control the amount of heat," Mr. DeWitt says.