Why is spicy not a taste, but a pain?

The reason why spicy is a kind of taste rather than a kind of pain is because the taste is actually the taste produced by the chemical reaction between food and oral cavity. For example, sweetness is produced by the reaction between starch and enzyme, salty taste is produced by the reaction between sodium and oral cavity, and umami taste is produced by the chemical reaction between protein and oral cavity. But only the spicy taste is not a chemical reaction, the pain felt on the tongue. Pepper can be felt without oral participation, so it is not a taste.

If the pain of pepper is simply taste, it must be defined by the participation of mouth and tongue. However, the pain caused by pepper does not require oral participation. For example, just smelling pepper, or sticking pepper on the skin, eyes and nose, will have the same tingling pain as eating pepper, so it is not the same taste at all.

When capsaicin acts on the skin, it does not affect the taste, but the trigeminal nerve. The body will get hot and feel burning. This feeling is actually a kind of pain, but people's endurance is still good. Therefore, only if the pepper is hot enough and heavy enough, this tingling will be particularly strong.

The way to relieve the pain of pepper is to always want to drink water after eating very spicy food, but in fact, drinking water does not have much effect. At this time, drinking a little milk can relieve the pain of pepper. If there is no milk around, you can actually try to drink some cold drinks. Don't drink hot drinks at this time. It is very important to reduce the burning sensation caused by capsaicin. Iced milk is the best choice.

Although pepper is a good choice for seasoning, it is not good to eat it often, especially for people with sensitive skin and stomach, which are prone to diarrhea and acne. So spicy food can be eaten, but it is not recommended to eat it often, which is healthier for the skin and stomach.