I have eaten some really spicy salsas and notice that after a while, my mouth tends to go dead. Am I risking long-term damage by continually eating the extremely spicy salsas?
2006-06-24 19:11:34 · 18 answers · asked by PartyCrasher 5 in Food & Drink ➔ Ethnic Cuisine
No. The chemical that makes chiles hot is called capsaicin, and amazingly it's absolutely harmless.
How it works: it excites the nerve endings that sense heat, and makes them THINK that you're on fire, so the nerves tell the brain that you've been burned. But it is chemically similar to vanilla, and does no damage at all to nerves or other tissue.
Note also that there's fundamentally nothing you can do for the chile burn -- it takes six minutes or so to break down the capsaicin that's already penetrated your tissues, and till then nothing you do will help. Cold helps slightly because it numbs the nerves, but when you warm up it's still there. You just have to wait and sweat it out.
2006-06-30 13:48:24 · answer #1 · answered by Scott F 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, there is no long term damage from spicy salsas or peppers.
The short-term numbness tends to mean that it has a lot of spices!
2006-06-24 19:22:25 · answer #2 · answered by urbancoyote 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it is infact a truth and not a myth. The acids from the peppers and hot sauces will kill (numb) your tastebuds. I've eaten hot foods since I was 5 years old and now I only really enjoy very flavorful (not salt) but flavorful foods. You will also find that you need hot sauces on many of your dishes that you would normally not put on which people may find as an insult to the cook. You can also develop an ulcer which can be an ongoing medical problem. All my doctors have constantly warned me but I am just addicted to really hot foods.
You only live once.. Enjoy life.
2006-06-24 19:17:58 · answer #3 · answered by wildhair 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
no the Caspian gives a mild numbness and one can become a chili head...the Mexicans have stomach cancer due to the high rate of deep fried foods..the whole hot taste thing is...simple some people have more taste buds per area than others...so some people feel more pain from it ...mild burning can temporarily impair taste buds bud they grow back...the "numbness" is the need for more hot cuz of caspian and the effects that the body does to counter it...hence u become a chili head for that WOW u get. in order to do real damage u would need a extract of habenaro or other hot pepper strangely they have em....i have one that's 1,500,000 scoville and it willll burn your skin...but it grows back like i said
2006-06-25 12:13:13 · answer #4 · answered by briannari 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. But as your tolerance level increases, you'll probably desire spicier/hotter foods in order to better experience their hotness.
Hot peppers are generally considered theraputic. However, if someone isn't interested in hot/spicy foods and doesn't enjoy that experience, they would probably be better off sticking to mild food.
If you wanna ride your bike like Lance Armstrong, you must be willing to confront some discomfort.
2006-07-01 06:27:07 · answer #5 · answered by Bizthin 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, the reason that your taste buds go dead is the same reason that after you get cut the injury seems to go numb, and then the feeling goes back into the wound. It is because the brain releases chemicals to numb the tongue.
2006-06-24 19:17:18 · answer #6 · answered by j_c_fan2010 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think over time your tastebuds can become desensitized to spicy foods, but not damaged. At some point, your tastebuds will be so accustomed to spicy foods that nothing you eat will
ever be spicy enough.
2006-06-24 19:21:45 · answer #7 · answered by Desi Chef 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about the taste buds but a Mexican friend of mine told me she wouldn't eat that hot stuff because she thought it would eat up her stomach.
Can't remember where I read it but pepper is suppose to be good for you.
I don't personally think it damages anything but do know that if you eat too much of it you scream for ice cream when you go to the bathroom.
2006-06-30 01:45:07 · answer #8 · answered by AL 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't think so...it can make it numb, like a burn does. What makes it feel hot is a substance called Capsaicin . It makes your hands and everything else on your body it touches "burn" too not just your tongue. Never cut hot peppers than rub your eyes! Hope this helps!! GL
2006-06-25 12:35:59 · answer #9 · answered by pashashoney 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's because the tongue cant stand the spiciness of your food... it goes numb to prevent you from hacking the fire hydrant for water.. i hv been eating extremely spicy food for 15 yrs now.. my parents started training me in kindergarten and i'm still addicted to chillies!
2006-07-02 17:37:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋