# Medical harm from eating super hot sauce? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986 "2008-06-06T05:36:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/1 "2008-06-06T05:36:29Z")
What if I accidentally ingested a mouthful of super hot sauce? For example, let’s say I went to a Mexican restaurant and accidentally took the wrong salsa from the salsa bar, and I am normally accustomed to only the mildest salsa. Is this something that could cause some sort of medical harm or would it just feel really awful for several minutes? PS: I really don’t know where this thread belongs. CS = Food related IMHO = Medical opinion GQ = Analysis of known risk I hope I picked correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/2 "2008-06-06T05:51:16Z")
According to [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin#Acute_health_effects) > [@](#): > > Painful exposures to capsaicin-containing peppers are among the most common plant-related exposures presented to poison centers. They cause burning or stinging pain to the skin, and if ingested in large amounts by adults or small amounts by children, can produce nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and burning diarrhea. Eye exposure produces intense tearing, pain, conjunctivitis, and blepharospasm. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/3 "2008-06-06T07:38:35Z")
You’re not going to find super-hot sauce in the salsa bar of a Mexican restaurant. The really hot sauces aren’t served in salsa bars. They’re sold in bottles and clearly marked. Unless you are in the habit of swigging down entire mouthfuls from bottles of sauces, you’re not going to get a mouthful of super-hot sauce. The most you might do is put some moderately hot salsa from the salsa bar on your food and notice how hot it is at first bite. I can’t imagine any situation except blatantly stupid showing-off in which someone could consume so much hot sauce that it would harm them. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/4 "2008-06-06T08:07:49Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] According to [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin#Acute_health_effects)… [/QUOTE] But the “burning” is purely a physiological sensation, isn’t it? Capsaicin triggers the nerves to fire and signal pain, but it doesn’t actually damage the tissue like real heat does. So, although unpleasant, it wouldn’t actually do any real “harm” in the long term, would it? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/5 "2008-06-06T08:56:42Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] But the “burning” is purely a physiological sensation, isn’t it? Capsaicin triggers the nerves to fire and signal pain, but it doesn’t actually damage the tissue like real heat does. So, although unpleasant, it wouldn’t actually do any real “harm” in the long term, would it? [/QUOTE] With enough (depending on your reaction) you might have your nasal membranes and throat swell up enough to close off so that might be a problem for some people, but, on the other hand , they can also act as decongestant of sorts for some people. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2008, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/6 "2008-06-06T09:51:00Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] But the “burning” is purely a physiological sensation, isn’t it? Capsaicin triggers the nerves to fire and signal pain, but it doesn’t actually damage the tissue like real heat does. So, although unpleasant, it wouldn’t actually do any real “harm” in the long term, would it? [/QUOTE] The stimulus itself may not, but the body’s reaction might, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/7 "2008-06-06T12:43:56Z")
Extremely high concentrations of capsaicin such as are seen in the fortified hot sauces (“Pepper extract” added) and prescription capsaicin creams (for neuralgia) can cause damage to susceptible tissue, such as corneas and nerves. Capsaicin inhalation can also cause bronchospasm. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/8 "2008-06-06T13:20:23Z")
Spontaneous Gastric Combustion, happens all the time around here… 😃 _Sneaks out to finish his Pad Thai._ ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/9 "2008-06-06T14:03:06Z")
I once tricked a friend into eating a raw whole Habenero pepper. He vomited, and the swelling and subsequent irritation of his nasal passages and throat triggered an asthma attack. He was essentially out of commision for the whole day. That being said, he has since forgiven me, but I expect one hell of a payback some day. (he also said that being hit with pepper spray made him smack his lips, and think “Hmmm… that tastes familiar…” ) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/10 "2008-06-06T21:31:54Z")
For some reason, I saw a couple of Youtube clips of young fools downing shots of extreme hot sauce. I’d have to say that vomiting will damage the enamel of your teeth if you don’t rinse your mouth quickly. Any vomiting will do it, the hot sauce itself won’t hurt your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/11 "2008-06-06T21:41:50Z")
All I can say is, last night I ate a whole bag of Warheads, and then later that night, drank a shot of rum. Jesus, that burned so bad. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/12 "2008-06-06T22:50:40Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] According to [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin#Acute_health_effects) [/QUOTE] Why’d you snip the previous sentence: > [@](#): > > Severe over-exposure can result in death. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/13 "2008-06-06T22:56:49Z")
Missed the edit window. That may have been talking about skin exposure, but I imagine having it inside of you would be worse. Also, from [Fiery Foods](http://www.fiery-foods.com/Dave/capsaicin.asp): > [@](#): > > One milligram of pure capsaicin placed on your hand… would surely blister the skin ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/14 "2008-06-06T22:58:50Z")
Has anyone ever died from morning-after blast-furnace burning bunghole? ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/15 "2008-06-06T23:15:55Z")
post removed by originator ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/16 "2008-06-07T00:17:14Z")
My mother got a massive blister on her mouth/lip from eating a peppered carrot slice so you certainly can physically harm yourself from your inadvertant hot sauce slip. A blister probably won’t kill you, barring an unfortunate post-blister infection, but they suck for sure. ---
**Author:** ![eldowan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@eldowan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eldowan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-harm-from-eating-super-hot-sauce/451986/17 "2008-06-07T00:37:11Z")
I asked a similar question about damage to taste buds, but the answer that I walked away with was that it would temporarily numb the nerves, and cause no lasting damage. But this was about chronic low to moderate orally administered doses. 😃 And this leads to the slight: [hijack] There are now tests to use capsaicin as an alternative to pain killers. > **[BBC NEWS | Health | Chilli compound fires painkiller](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7026443.stm)** > > A chemical from chilli peppers may be able to kill pain without affecting touch or movement. [/hijack]