[Sca-cooks] Food Allergies

[Terry Decker]

My point is that capsaicin isn't harmless, it's just not lethal.  In almost
any quantity, it will cause chemical burns (usually very mild first degree
burns for ingested peppers).  Normally, you avoid something that hurts you,
but eating peppers produces some interesting and not completely understood
physical reactions including the release of endorphins.  The endorphins
provide a natural opiate effect.  Thus you get a trade off, mild euphoria
for slight chemical burns.

Bear


>Well, Bear, "harmless" is a relative thing. For
>reasonably healthy people eating reasonable quantities
>of capsicum, or any other compound, harmless in this
>sense means "not harmful". Sugar, salt, and alcohol
>are, in this sense, harmless also- but too much of any
>of them can and has killed people. The thing to
>remember is that different people have different
>thresholds, and to know yours and deal with them.
>
>Phlip