The burning sensation of hot peppers comes from capsaicin, a compound that binds to the heat receptors in your mouth. While it does not cause physical damage, the sensation is strong enough to make it ...

Despite being widely used, researchers have previously not known how capsaicin exerts its pain-killing effects. The initial pain-dulling sensation occurs when capsaicin activates heat-sensing ...

But there's no real heat in a pepper. So, what's going on? It's all about a chemical compound in peppers called capsaicin. Capsaicin binds to pain receptors on our nerves called TRPV1. Normally ...