Getting high on chile peppers?
We’ve been preaching about the endorphin rush from hot peppers for years, and many books and magazines have been published which support this. This article from the Clarion Ledger out of Mississippi is a short summary of this same topic. Check it out this snippet and link:
Burn, baby, burn: The high of hot peppers
By Felder Rushing
Special to The Clarion-LedgerPsssst! Wanna cheap buzz that’s legal?
There’s no need to turn to mind-altering drugs – just eat a hot pepper.
It’ll make you downright woozy – after you get over the initial think-you-are-dying stage.
The white lining the inside walls of hot peppers contain a material called capsaicin, which causes a distinct burning sensation when in contact with nerve endings in mucous membranes.
Oddly enough, the heat isn’t real – it just seems that way, so much so that your brain can’t override it. You just can’t talk a pepper burn down.
Other than riding it out (at most it usually lasts only a few minutes), the surest way to get relief is by drinking milk.
Casein, a substance found in dairy products, disrupts the reaction.
In other words, that old joke about chasing hot peppers with ice cream to soothe the after-effect is, well, not a joke!




















![Validate my RSS feed [Valid RSS]](valid-rss.png)
Commented at July 29, 2007- 1:42 am
Bwahahahahaha!!!! Like an endorphin rush is anywhere near compareable to a mind altering substance. As fun as it is (and boy is it fun), it doesn’t get anywhere near psychedelics.
Commented at July 29, 2007- 2:43 pm
LOL!
Commented at July 30, 2007- 12:44 pm
There’s no need to turn to mind-altering drugs – just eat a hot peppe
HUH?….lol
Commented at July 31, 2007- 1:30 am
Yeah right. Apples and kumquats, not the same thing. Jon you have something coming in the mail.
Commented at February 19, 2011- 8:31 am
Tis true… I’ve had this reaction to hot peppers a few times.. Its realy euphoric and comparable to quite a few illegal drugs.. But the best thing its perfectly legal and nobody gives you a bad time for eating peppers, just dont tell people why your eating them.. In fact i’m off out tonight and yeah i’ll be having a chilli with extra hot peppers thrown on… I’ll be tripping my tits off….
Commented at February 20, 2011- 9:05 pm
Jonni, try wearin’ a bra, it might keep you from tripping on those tits….
Commented at February 29, 2012- 3:36 am
I am high right now. Had an extremely spicy Vindaloo I made. It has 25 spices in it (Cayenne, Red Hot Chili Powder & Red Chili Flakes being some as well as Cumin, Cinnamon, Cloves, Alspice, Nutmeg, etc) as well as 12 Jalepenos, 20 Serranos, 3 Red, 2 Yellow Wax, 1.5 Anaheim, 1 Pasilla & 18 Habenero peppers in it. It’s cooked in a way that brings out the heat from the fresh Ginger and all the spices as well as the peppers – steeps on med low for almost an hour then chopped potato is added. This is the hottest I’ve made it so far, W/O hot sauces. I am looking for some Ghost Chilis and maybe a Scorpion to make it wicked fire. I only had a small bowl and it really does feel like you’re stoned.
Commented at March 2, 2012- 8:23 am
The scepticism here is interesting. I’ve just had the following from the Devon Chilli Farm – Bhut Jolokia sauce straight from the jar, chilli coffee chocolate and bhut jolokia chocolate. Trust me when I say I’m VERY euphoric right now. I am tripping a little, colours look more intense, I feel light headed and woozy, and damn-it, I feel like I love the whole world! LMAO! The burn only last for a few minutes and I don’t find it that unpleasant. I’m a bit of a chili head, but I just gave it to a chilli first timer who has a cold and didn’t get much sleep last night – he is off his head right now, not to mentioned it cleared his cold symptoms, at least for a while.