Fire in the Hole: The Legend of the Ghost Pepper

Listening to high school students frequently attempt to one-up each other over the years has repeatedly exposed this English teacher to urban legends surrounding characteristics of the ghost pepper, often in the context of one student claiming to have eaten such a pepper followed by another insisting that such a feat is an impossibility. Variations of the story include students recounting tales of people they knew, or friends of friends, who have been severely maimed by attempting to ingest even the smallest bite from one of these mythically spicy fruits. Pepper juice which is so hot it melts flesh on contact is another frequent claim which begs the curious listener to engage in some cursory research.

Ghost Pepper

The existence of the ghost pepper is not a myth. More formally known as the bhut jolokia, the ghost chili pepper is 900.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce and was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s hottest chili pepper in 2007. Although it has since been surpassed by two other peppers, including the Carolina Reaper (certified as the world’s hottest pepper by the Guinness Book of World Records on December 26, 2013), the spicy hotness of the ghost pepper remains almost unequaled.

It is also not a myth that competitive people engage in wagers to consume these hot peppers for any number of reasons, whether it be to test their mettle, win a bet, or impress their friends. The humorous 2011 Youtube video below documents a U.S. Marine consuming a ghost chili pepper under what appears to be a previously agreed upon set of conditions.

A simple search on Youtube reveals many more videos where people wittingly and unwittingly consume one of these peppers and struggle to endure what usually seems to be the very unpleasant experience which follows.

While melting flesh is not a condition caused by contact with the bhut jolokia, the oil from this pepper and its seeds can cause painful burns to the skin. It is for this reason that chefs and gardeners familiar with the ghost chili peppers do not handle these peppers with their bare hands, but use latex or nitril gloves (as you see the Marine wearing in the video above) to prevent direct contact with the skin. High proof alcohol and mechanics soap which includes pumice are useful for removing the offending capsaicin oil and mitigating the burns caused by exposure. Ingesting ice cream, milk, and yogurt best relieve burning due to consumption, while cold water only temporarily relieves the pain, and carbonated beverages will definitely make the burning worse.

An interesting side note related to the capsaicin oil which causes the pain associated with eating or handling ghost peppers is that it affects the human body in the same manner as tarantula venom. A 2006 study by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, found that the three neurotoxin molecules in tarantula venom activate the same pain receptors as the capsaicin found in the bhut jolokia. This study indicates that both the spider and the chili pepper share strikingly similar mechanisms to defend themselves against mammalian predators.

Bottom Line

The “legends” of the bhut jolokia, or ghost chili pepper, are often exaggerated, yet surprisingly accurate. While this pepper does not melt flesh, the mere contact of its oil with bare skin can cause irritating burns, enough to cause handlers of these peppers to wear gloves for protection. Once certified as the hottest pepper in the world, this pepper produces oil called capsaicin which inflicts burning pain not unlike that of a tarantula’s venom. While capsaicin and tarantula venom seem sufficient deterrents to ward off predators in the wild, the capsaicin seems ineffective at warding off those people intent on experiencing the spiciest of foods.