Description
What is capsaicin?
Capsaicin is a compound found in chili peppers that gives them their spicy kick.
The highest concentration occurs in the seeds, making them significantly spicier than the flesh.
When consumed, foods containing this substance stimulate pain receptors in your tongue, causing the sensation of heat that most people experience.
Some people are more sensitive to capsaicin than others, which is usually related to how often they eat spicy foods. Your tongue adjusts to the sensation over time (3).
The heat of a given pepper can be measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHUs), which range from 0 to 15 million. For example, jalapeños measure about 2,500–8,000 SHUs, whereas habanero peppers hit 100,000–350,000 SHUs.
Capsaicin supplements are typically derived from cayenne peppers.
These supplements also commonly use SHUs to measure potency. The typical range is 40,000–100,000, though because they’re encapsulated, you don’t experience the same heat as when you eat hot peppers.
