Our brain's capacity to produce it's own natural opiates or endorphins for our response to pain is indeed a wondrous and incredible ability.
Even when it is perceiving the pain of capsaicin, our brain has this ability to release endorphins.
In some cases it will release a rush of endorphins and thus we have the term 'Endorphin Rush'.
Through watching some of the video clips of some chile heads eating super hot peppers, the brain's releasing of endorphins is certainly clear by the reaction of the participants.
Take for instance Neil of THSC in the folllowing link. At the 8:00 minute mark in the video, Neil goes from being in considerable distress to looking like he had just been injected with a shot of morphine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR7jvw9W-TQ&feature=player_embedded
It is almost as though a switch had gone off and he suddenly gets a smile on his face and looks like he is no pain whatsoever...actually looking like he is enjoying himself.
Another instance is when Beaglestorm and Ronnie tackle the TS Butch T strain. Ronnie is actually amazed at the endorphin rush he is suddenly getting and goes from being in pain to laughing out loud.
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/18782-beaglestorm-and-ronnie-vs-the-trinidad-scorpion-butch-t/
Of interest here is that Bealestorm (Mike) says later that this is the first time that he has actually felt the endorphin rush, in the following thread, where he states, "The butch was much more intense however and really the only one that gave me an endorphin rush if that makes any sense."
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/18807-beaglestorm-vs-the-brown-7-pod-chile/
And Mike has eaten his fair share of super hot peppers.
So this got me thinking...again. No doubt a bad habit that i should probably eventually try to deal with.
How hot does a pepper need to be for the eater of said pepper to experience an endorphin rush? It probably comes down to different people experiencing different results, but it almost seems like the hottest of the super hots such as a TS Butch T or a Dorset Naga in Neil's case are enough to do the trick.
Is it a higher ratio level of some of the various types of the capsinoids being present in these peppers that delivers that powerful endorphin rush?
I've only eaten habanero peppers, and i don't get anything at all resembling a rush like that.
Any thoughts?
dvg
Even when it is perceiving the pain of capsaicin, our brain has this ability to release endorphins.
In some cases it will release a rush of endorphins and thus we have the term 'Endorphin Rush'.
Through watching some of the video clips of some chile heads eating super hot peppers, the brain's releasing of endorphins is certainly clear by the reaction of the participants.
Take for instance Neil of THSC in the folllowing link. At the 8:00 minute mark in the video, Neil goes from being in considerable distress to looking like he had just been injected with a shot of morphine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR7jvw9W-TQ&feature=player_embedded
It is almost as though a switch had gone off and he suddenly gets a smile on his face and looks like he is no pain whatsoever...actually looking like he is enjoying himself.
Another instance is when Beaglestorm and Ronnie tackle the TS Butch T strain. Ronnie is actually amazed at the endorphin rush he is suddenly getting and goes from being in pain to laughing out loud.
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/18782-beaglestorm-and-ronnie-vs-the-trinidad-scorpion-butch-t/
Of interest here is that Bealestorm (Mike) says later that this is the first time that he has actually felt the endorphin rush, in the following thread, where he states, "The butch was much more intense however and really the only one that gave me an endorphin rush if that makes any sense."
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/18807-beaglestorm-vs-the-brown-7-pod-chile/
And Mike has eaten his fair share of super hot peppers.
So this got me thinking...again. No doubt a bad habit that i should probably eventually try to deal with.
How hot does a pepper need to be for the eater of said pepper to experience an endorphin rush? It probably comes down to different people experiencing different results, but it almost seems like the hottest of the super hots such as a TS Butch T or a Dorset Naga in Neil's case are enough to do the trick.
Is it a higher ratio level of some of the various types of the capsinoids being present in these peppers that delivers that powerful endorphin rush?
I've only eaten habanero peppers, and i don't get anything at all resembling a rush like that.
Any thoughts?
dvg
