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Why Hot Peppers Set Your Mouth on Fire

Clip Season Nova Season 47 4:02 Premiered 20210203

The chemical that makes chili peppers so hot evolved to keep animals from eating the plants.

How does a chili pepper make your mouth feel like its on fire? When you eat peppers, capsaicin molecules fit into the heat pain receptors of your mouth, sending a false signal to your brain that's identical to the one it would receive if you ate something literally burning hot.

How does a chili pepper make your mouth feel like its on fire? When you eat peppers, capsaicin molecules fit into the heat pain receptors of your mouth, sending a false signal to your brain that’s identical to the one it would receive if you ate something literally burning hot.