You’ve seen people
doing it on the internet
so you decide to try it yourself.
After a single bite
tears are coming down your face,
you have a gushing runny nose
and face spasms.
You feel like your whole body is on fire,
and you can’t breathe.
The only thing you have nearby
is a stick of butter.
Could that help?
The Carolina Reaper
is the hottest pepper on Earth,
and it's rated 1.5 million
on the Scoville Heat Scale.
That's a tool used to measure
the spiciness of hot peppers.
And for reference,
a jalapeño is only 3,500.
Ed Currie grows this powerful pepper
in South Carolina.
According to him,
a great reason
for eating chili peppers
is the euphoric feeling
people get after eating them.
But it can also cause a great deal
of damage to your body.
Hot peppers aren’t made of heat.
But it might feel like that
thanks to capsaicin,
the chemical compound
that makes peppers spicy.
It makes your brain think
that your mouth is burning.
Your body starts sweating to cool down.
Your eyes tear up,
and you’ll get a runny nose.
But the real danger
comes when you swallow the pepper.
You can develop blisters on your throat.
If it burns and closes your airways,
you could go into anaphylactic shock.
Before you try eating a Carolina Reaper,
build your tolerance to spicy foods.
Start by eating jalapeños,
then hotter peppers
like cayenne
or scotch bonnet.
When you’re used to their heat,
you might be ready
for the scariest of them all.
No matter how you try it,
eating the world’s hottest pepper
will be a painful experience.
There is a way you can make
the consequences less severe.
If you eat a Carolina Reaper
on an empty stomach,
the capsaicin
will irritate your stomach's lining
and cause heartburn,
stomach cramps or intense diarrhea.
Bananas are an excellent fruit to eat first.
They’re high in fiber,
smooth
and have a quenching property
that can help your body
handle the pepper's heat.
It is essential to prepare your body
to tolerate the extreme heat
of a Carolina Reaper,
but your mind also needs a moment
to get ready for the severe
pain you’re about to feel.
Would you like to use a technique
to help you overcome
the painful burning sensation
of eating this scorching hot pepper?
Meditating beforehand
can help you achieve that.
You’ve done all your preparations
and it’s time to dig in,
but slowly.
Don’t gobble it all down at once.
You'll need to find your body's rhythm
when eating these flaming hot peppers.
That gives your mouth time
to deal with the heat
and slightly overcome the pain
before you take another bite.
A good strategy
is to have some butter handy.
Make sure a thin layer of butter
coats your mouth and lips
for extra protection from the heat.
Now the Carolina Reaper
has made its way down into your stomach,
chances are that you’re burning up
from the inside
and you’re desperately looking for water.
But put the glass down.
Drink milk instead
to soothe the burn and pain.
Dairy products contain the casein protein
that can bind to capsaicin
and wash it away.
After eating this pepper,
your stomach's acidity increased,
and your stomach lining is irritated.
An antacid will help your body
neutralize the stomach acid
and treat any potential heartburn
or acid reflux.
Well done.
You survived eating
the world's hottest pepper.
Hopefully, you'll stop eating dangerous
foods,
as some can make you hallucinate.
Like poisonous mushrooms.
Do you know how to handle those?
Find out here
on How to Survive.