[CH] capsaicin facts from Learning Kingdom

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Fellow Ch.Ds:

The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for October 7, 1999
"Cool" fact??
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                  Why do chile peppers taste so hot?
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The active ingredient in hot chili (sic) peppers is a substance called
capsaicin.  It is so potent that even a minute amount has a strong
effect.  Why does capsaicin taste so "hot?"

There are receptor molecules in the membranes of certain pain sensor
nerves that respond strongly to capsaicin molecules.  The same pain
receptors are also activated by heat, acids, and other various
chemical or physical stimuli, including injuries.

So capsaicin's "hot" taste is created by directly activating the
heat/pain sensory system.  What's more, once capsaicin has triggered
a receptor, the same receptor becomes even more sensitive to heat,
temporarily making warm soup feel even hotter. (for about twenty minutes 
according to us Ch.Ds.)

More about capsaicin's effect on pain receptors:
http://www.apnet.com/inscight/10221997/graphb.htm
http://www.perkin-elmer.co.jp/ab/bionews/bionews-141098e.htm

A recipe for hot pepper candy that acts as an anesthetic:
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~lacarrol/hotpeper.html

More Cool Facts about taste:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/03/05.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/07/23.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/01/04.html

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