Individual preferences for piquant foods vary due to factors like capsaicin receptor sensitivity, personality traits, and ...

For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed David J. Julius, assistant professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco. Data from the Web of Science (ISI, ...

I love the spicy taste of salsa, but I always keep a glass of milk handy. I talked about why milk calms the spicy feeling with my friend Emily Cukier. She’s a chemistry librarian at Washington State ...

Spicy food makes us sweat because capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers, tricks the body’s heat sensors into ...

I’m the idiot who once ate a ghost-pepper wing on a dare, cried for twenty minutes, and then immediately asked for another ...

Venom from a West Indian tarantula has been shown to cause pain by exciting the same nerve cells in mice that sense high temperatures and the hot, spicy ingredient in chili peppers, UCSF scientists ...

Spicy food can transform any meal into a sensory experience — pain, pleasure, even breaking a sweat can take flavors to the next level. While some like it hot, dialing up the heat may ruin a meal for ...

Spicy food lovers know the thrill of the burn. That fiery sensation on the tongue and lips can be exhilarating, adding a whole new dimension to a meal. But sometimes, that heat can travel further down ...

Learn whether a shot of apple cider vinegar, lemon, and cayenne can help lower blood pressure, what research says, and whether this combo truly makes a difference.