Why do you feel "chrysanthemum-like" spicy after eating chili peppers?

Chili pepper is a plant native to Central and South America. It has attractive color and fiery flavor, and is a delicacy that most people cannot refuse. In Hunan, Sichuan and other places, chili peppers are a must for every meal, and have cultivated a large number of spicy food fanatics who are afraid that the food is not spicy enough. As food culture spreads due to population mobility, Sichuan cuisine and Hunan cuisine have taken root all over the world, attracting a large number of diners who have not been able to eat spicy food since childhood but are looking for spicy and stimulating food. However, some people find that although eating chili peppers feels great, after eating them they face problems such as diarrhea and anal burning sensation, which is really unpleasant.

The magic of capsaicin

Why does chili pepper bring a "spicy" and "refreshing" feeling? This is all thanks to capsaicin. Capsaicin is a bioalkali containing vanilloid amide that binds to the vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VAN1) on sensory neurons.

receptor subtype1, VR1) binding. Since the VR1 receptor transmits a burning sensation after activation (it is also activated when it is stimulated by heat), when you eat chili peppers, you feel a burning sensation. This burning sensation will give the brain a false concept that the body is injured and start releasing the body's own pain-relieving substances - endorphins, so it can make people feel euphoric, and the more they eat, the better they feel, and the more they want to eat.

Capsaicin can bring a refreshing spicy feeling in the mouth, but it is a different story in the stomach and intestines.

Tragic intestinal cells

Many people will feel something uncomfortable in their stomach after the refreshing effect of eating chili peppers has worn off. Soon their stomach will start to hurt and they will run to the toilet to have a bowel movement. There is no clear explanation for why eating chili peppers causes diarrhea so far, but one of the reasons may be that colon cells are stimulated by capsaicin, which leads to gastrointestinal motility disorders.

Colonocytes also have capsaicin receptors, and activation of the capsaicin receptors in colon cells can cause disorders in colon motility. The function of the colon is to slowly push the unformed feces to the anus and absorb the water in the process to form the stool. Excessive activation of capsaicin receptors will cause the movement of the colon to become faster and irregular, resulting in insufficient time for the intestine to absorb water, ultimately making it impossible for the stool to form, leading to loose stools, or diarrhea.

Hot spicy "chrysanthemum"

After eating so many foods containing capsaicin, capsaicin will inevitably pass through the long intestines with the food and reach the anus with feces. After a bowel movement, some people will feel a hot and burning anus, as if it was burned by fire, and some dull pain.

This is easy to explain, because the capsaicin receptors mainly transmit a burning sensation to the brain, so when the capsaicin receptors on the anus are activated, the brain also perceives the feeling of the anus being burned by fire. Most people have experienced this feeling, but there is no need to worry, because the anus is not burned or injured. When the stimulation of capsaicin gradually disappears, this feeling will naturally disappear.

Of course, if you continue to eat a lot of chili peppers every day, it is not impossible to have "burned anus" for years.

Some people may ask, why other people are fine after eating chili peppers, but I get diarrhea and anal burning after eating them? I think this may be related to the differences in the expression of capsaicin receptors among each person - people living in Hunan, Sichuan and other places may express less capsaicin receptors due to their eating habits, which may be one of the reasons why they are naturally not afraid of spicy food. Of course, this is just my inference. If any student has the time and mood, he can do a survey and completely solve this mystery.