# Evolutionary Purpose of capsaicin pepper? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543 "2006-11-08T13:50:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/1 "2006-11-08T13:50:51Z")
I consumed a portion of extra-hot buffalo wings last night! they were del;icious-but the "ring of fire’ phenomenon is the payback. anyway, i understood that capsaicin is a chemical produced by the pepper plant, which is intended to prevent the plant from being eaten (by herbivorous animals). This is understandable-the plant doesn’t want to be destroyed, so this evolution (capsaicin production0 favors continued reproduction for the plant…I can confirm that most animals will not eat food containing capsaicin-my dog turned his nose up at the wings. Another question; why isn’t capsaicin broken down by the digestive system? Eeve 12 hours in the digestive system…it still is quite potent. is capsaicin a bactericide? :o ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/2 "2006-11-08T14:10:18Z")
I believe you meant to post this in GQ. I’ll move it there for you. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/3 "2006-11-08T14:19:10Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I consumed a portion of extra-hot buffalo wings last night! they were del;icious-but the "ring of fire’ phenomenon is the payback. anyway, i understood that capsaicin is a chemical produced by the pepper plant, which is intended to prevent the plant from being eaten (by herbivorous animals). This is understandable-the plant doesn’t want to be destroyed, so this evolution (capsaicin production0 favors continued reproduction for the plant..I can confirm that most animals will not eat food containing capsaicin-my dog turned his nose up at the wings. Another question; why isn’t capsaicin broken down by the digestive system? Eeve 12 hours in the digestive system..it still is quite potent. is capsaicin a bactericide? :o [/QUOTE] Did you remember to eat ice cream right after the wings? Come on ice cream! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/4 "2006-11-08T14:23:10Z")
Capsicums have chosen birds as their seed vector; Birds can’t taste capsaicin, they also have fairly short digestive tracts and rapid digestive transit, allowing the seeds to pass through undigested. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/5 "2006-11-08T16:24:32Z")
Many of the truely fiery varieties of peppers are the result of selective hybridization through human intervention, NOT natural selection. Thus the peppers have take advantage of humanity’s endorphine addiction and masochistic tendencies to propigate thier genes. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/6 "2006-11-08T16:42:38Z")
Wait… is spicy food supposed to actually burn on the way out? After years of eating General Tzo’s Chicken, Tacos and burritos dipped in Tobasco sauce, and roast beef sandwiches and pizza topped with jalapeños, I was just convinced that was a silly joke. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/7 "2006-11-08T16:48:19Z")
**Ragu** , none of what you mention is spicy! (At least not to me.)(And probably not to you either.) But if you really over-do it with the peppers, it will still burn when it exits. I discovered this when I started adding habaneros to recipes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/8 "2006-11-08T16:53:17Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] **Ragu** , none of what you mention is spicy! (At least not to me.)(And probably not to you either.) But if you really over-do it with the peppers, it will still burn when it exits. I discovered this when I started adding habaneros to recipes. [/QUOTE] For me, it’s not habaneros. I make a Jamaican jerk paste that uses 12-16 of those (easier to find here than Scotch bonnets) for about 2-3 cups of paste. Those usually are okay on the way out. For some reason, however, pickled peppers sometimes cause a little distress upon exit. I’ll have a few mild, pickled jalapenos and sometimes I’ll feel them later in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/9 "2006-11-08T17:00:00Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] **Ragu** , none of what you mention is spicy! (At least not to me.)(And probably not to you either.) But if you really over-do it with the peppers, it will still burn when it exits. I discovered this when I started adding habaneros to recipes. [/QUOTE] Heh, my definition of “Exactly spicy enough” is when I can’t carry on a conversation due to convulsive hiccups while eating. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/10 "2006-11-08T17:07:25Z")
[QUOTE=Kevbo] Many of the truely fiery varieties of peppers are the result of selective hybridization through human intervention, NOT natural selection. [/QUOTE] But the mild bell peppers are a result of human intervention too, aren’t they? Which peppers are closest to the wild, unaltered plants? ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/11 "2006-11-08T17:20:15Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] Wait… is spicy food supposed to actually burn on the way out? [/QUOTE] I don’t think it’s ‘supposed’ to in the sense of it being a desired outcome, but it’s not unusual to get a little sting in the ring. Try a vindaloo or a phall and you’ll probably encounter it… Tabasco and jalapenos are pretty mild stuff, really. Even Encona red pepper sauce (which is as hot as I usually go) tops it by a fair amount, and some people use that the way italians use passata. ---
**Author:** ![ChipsNDip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@ChipsNDip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChipsNDip)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/12 "2006-11-08T18:28:56Z")
Jalapenos don’t bother me at all, digestively - but just a touch of habenero gives me fits, and is not pleasant the next day. It’s sad, because I _love_ some salsas and sauces that use habenero peppers… but it’s not a “slight burning” - my rear end and internals feel like your lips feel after eating some really hot food. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/13 "2006-11-08T19:19:56Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Capsicums have chosen birds as their seed vector; Birds can’t taste capsaicin… [/QUOTE] I’ve heard this before, and wondered: do we _know_ that birds can’t taste capsaicin? That is, can we tell from examining chemical receptors on their taste buds? Or do we just assume they can’t taste it because, unlike other animals, they don’t avoid it? Is it possible that they, like many of us, don’t avoid it because they just like hot stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/14 "2006-11-08T19:29:15Z")
For me, it’s pepperoncinis. They burn far more coming out than even suicide wings. I don’t think their tough skin gets fully digested on its way through. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/15 "2006-11-08T19:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] Wait… is spicy food supposed to actually burn on the way out? After years of eating General Tzo’s Chicken, Tacos and burritos dipped in Tobasco sauce, and roast beef sandwiches and pizza topped with jalapeños, I was just convinced that was a silly joke. [/QUOTE] It only happened to me after eating sandwiches loaded with whole pickled habanero peppers. I kinda thought it was joke too, until that night… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/16 "2006-11-08T19:38:54Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] But the mild bell peppers are a result of human intervention too, aren’t they? Which peppers are closest to the wild, unaltered plants? [/QUOTE] Wild capsicums are generally very small, not particularly fleshy and are insanely hot. ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/17 "2006-11-08T19:48:23Z")
An interesting article just hit the wires regarding capsaicin. It appears that certain spider venom induces pain in the same receptors that signal pain from hot peppers. [Link](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15624289/from/RS.4/). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/18 "2006-11-09T00:37:45Z")
[QUOTE=MrSquishy] I’ve heard this before, and wondered: do we _know_ that birds can’t taste capsaicin? That is, can we tell from examining chemical receptors on their taste buds? Or do we just assume they can’t taste it because, unlike other animals, they don’t avoid it? Is it possible that they, like many of us, don’t avoid it because they just like hot stuff? [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure it’s that they just have limited taste receptors, both in terms of density and type. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/19 "2006-11-09T01:14:31Z")
[QUOTE=MrSquishy] I’ve heard this before, and wondered: do we _know_ that birds can’t taste capsaicin? That is, can we tell from examining chemical receptors on their taste buds? Or do we just assume they can’t taste it because, unlike other animals, they don’t avoid it? Is it possible that they, like many of us, don’t avoid it because they just like hot stuff? [/QUOTE] Ahem. [Are birds immune to hot pepper, enabling them to eat vast amounts and spread the seeds?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mchili.html) My very first Staff Report. > [@](#): > > Birds will happily eat the hottest of hot chili peppers, a fact so well known that some varieties are popularly known as “bird peppers.” For anyone who has ever “enjoyed” a five-alarm mondongo at a Mexican restaurant, two questions will immediately leap to mind: (a) How can such featherweight creatures consume enough incendiary material to vaporize a camel and still show no signs of discomfort? and (b) hokey smokes, Josephine, what do you suppose that will do to their tiny bungholes tomorrow morning? > > . . . > > Capsaicin . . . has a powerful irritant effect on certain mammalian pain receptors (nociceptors). The key receptor molecule, a protein on the outer surface of the cell, was identified in 1997. When capsaicin comes into contact with it, a cascade of intracellular reactions is triggered that is perceived by the brain as pain. These reactions are very similar to those produced by damaging heat, so it is no coincidence that we sense chilies as being hot. The effect can be so overpowering that sprays containing capsaicin are used to repel grizzly bears and even elephants. > > . . . > The situation is entirely different for birds. While mammals will avoid food containing as little as 100-1000 parts per million (ppm) of capsaicin, birds will readily consume up to at least 20,000 ppm (mind, we’re talking food that’s 2% pure capsaicin here). The difference seems to be that bird receptor cells are largely insensitive to capsaicin. Certain chemical modifications can make capsaicin somewhat aversive to birds, which shows that it is the structure of the molecule that is the key. Capsaicin sensitivity is perhaps the most well known difference between bird and mammalian receptors, although birds also seem to be insensitive to many other substances that are irritating to mammals, including ammonia and naphthalene. (A contrasting case is methyl anthranilate, grape flavoring, which is aversive to birds but not to mammals.) This difference is exploited by some commercial bird seeds, which add chili powder or capsaicin to the mixture to deter feeder-raiding squirrels. > > The reason chilies incorporate capsaicin in their fruits (and red/green peppers of course are fruits in a botanical sense, not vegetables) seems to be to ensure that their seeds are dispersed properly. When small birds consume the fruits of wild peppers the seeds pass through the gut undigested and, due to the birds’ flight range, are deposited in distant places where they can grow with less competition. If the fruits were consumed by larger mammals the seeds would either be digested, or deposited much closer to the parent plant. Studies have shown that the seeds of wild peppers are in fact dispersed almost exclusively by birds. ---
**Author:** ![slomodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@slomodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slomodan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2006, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543/20 "2006-11-09T03:55:36Z")
I eat capsaicin with 90k scoville units of heat. I often have eaten the highest heat level I have seen and can buy: 500k. (if anybody has seen any hotter, let me know where, cause I want it) I have never, ever felt a burning sensation out my arse-hole. Probably genetic? I dunno, but I love hot stuff and never have any problems. FWIW, I can complete the BWW blazing challenge in under 2 minutes. Yes, that is one wing every 10 seconds. It hurts, but I can do it. Not bragging, just saying it doesn’t happen to everybody. And some of us regularly eat very hot stuff. I recently bought a one lb bag of 100k capsaisin powder, and put it in everything. (I have even put some in with my coffee- not too tasty if you put too much) My roommates give me a hard time about my tendencies, and don’t eat anything I cook. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolutionary-purpose-of-capsaicin-pepper/379543.md?page=2)