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TCM Lifestyle

Hot Chili Peppers in the Blistering Sun

Skye Sturgeon, DAOM |

Among the many delights of attending Chinese medicine school in New Mexico was one that occurred every August when tractor trailers full of ‘Big Jim’ green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico arrived. Supermarkets set up gas-fired chile roasters in their parking lots and the fragrance was alluring, to say the least. The chiles came in burlap bushels and after roasting I would take them home, clean out the seeds, and then freeze the chiles in quart-size freezer bags. This would last me most of the year, and I would cook with these chiles nearly every day. Although I was not exactly ‘chili’ naïve, dinner on my first night in Santa Fe was an ordeal in fire since I ate several dishes containing red and green chiles. After the first year eating New Mexico cuisine, I had to have my dose of green (and red) chiles, every day. Was I addicted? Perhaps. Why this fascination with hot, pungent chile peppers living in the high desert? For sure, the summers were hot and the winters were snowy and harsh. And why do people all over the world living in hot climates consume this hot food? It seems counterintuitive. Let’s explore.

chili peppers

First, is it ‘chile’ or ‘chili’? According to my teacher at The Santa Fe School of Cooking, the pepper is properly called a ‘chile’, while ‘chili’ refers to a dish containing ‘chiles’. “Chilli’ (two l’s) is also correct, although that is uncommon and comes from the Nahuatl/Aztec language. All ‘peppers’, including all New Mexican cultivars, Jalapeno, Anaheim, Poblano, Guajillo, Fresno, Serrano, Cayenne, Tabasco, Thai, Habanero, Carolina Reaper, Sichuan, Pepperoncini, Calabrian, Paprika, and the familiar sweet Bell pepper, belong to the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae. There are around 4000 types worldwide and are comprised of five closely related species and 28 ‘wild’ varieties.

Origins of Chiles

Originally, Capsicum plants were grown in Peru and Bolivia over 7500 years ago and have been cultivated in the Amazon, Central America, and Mexico for 6000 years. Chiles were unknown in the rest of the world until the Spanish brought seeds to Europe after the Columbian Era and various varietals appeared in Italy, Germany, and the Balkans. Subsequently, the Portuguese traders brought chile peppers to Africa, Arabia, and various ports in India, Indonesian, and eventually China, arriving there in approximately 1570. Chile peppers were incorporated into the cuisines worldwide due to their unique flavor and versatility. In 2004, China accounted for 37% of the world’s production, followed by India, Turkey, and Mexico. In China, chili peppers are quite popular, especially in Sichuan, Hunan, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou, although they are scarcely found in other regional, more northernly or coastal Chinese cuisine.

Capsaicin

The heat of chile peppers is largely dependent on the amount of capsaicin oil they contain and points to the name of the genus.  A chile's heat is measured in "Scoville units" with a higher number of Scovilles designating a hotter chile. A Bell pepper is completely capsaicin-free, has no spice whatsoever, and comes in at zero Scovilles. The popular Jalapeño pepper comes in at around 5,000 units and on the other end of the scale, the Carolina Reaper is currently the world's hottest chile and comes in at 1.5 million Scovilles.

Capsaicin determines the heat, but not the entire flavor of a chile, and the hottest chiles have little discernable taste other than the burn. Chile peppers contain more than 380 distinct volatile and non-volatile compounds that produce their actual taste and aroma. These chemicals that hit the senses before any heat does and include aldehydes, esters, terpenes, alcohols, ketones, and crucially, pyrazines — the nitrogen-containing ring compounds responsible for roasted, nutty, grassy, and earthy aromas. Besides being pungent and spicy, various chiles are also sweet, sour and provide umami, making food taste richer and more nuanced.

Capsaicin and the related capsaicinoid alkaloids found in chiles are amides that are classified as toxins which provide protection against infections by fungi and various insect pests. They are irritants for mammals which may eat them.  Birds, however, are not affected by capsaicin and represent the major dispersal vector for distribution of the plant’s seeds.

Capsaicin can accelerate the metabolism of fats, prevent fat accumulation in the body, and have the effects of reducing cholesterol, weight reduction, lowering blood sugar, enhancing physical strength, and preventing diseases. Other effects attributed to capsaicin include the protection of cellular DNA from radiation damage, promotion of hormone secretion and improvement of the condition of skin, slowing down of the development of atherosclerosis, and an increase of digestive juices and appetite. When applied externally, it has a rubefacient effect on the skin and can cause reflex dilation of local skin blood vessels and promote local blood circulation. However, when ingested, while capsaicin strongly stimulates sensory nerve endings and causes a warm or hot sensation, there is little effect on blood vessels and even high concentrations do not cause damage to them.

Some of the possible negative effects of capsaicin include increased peristalsis, stomach and abdominal pain, diarrhea, burning pain in the anus, and bleeding of hemorrhoids. People with esophagitis, gastritis, ulcers, toothache, eye inflammations, boils, or coughing up blood should avoid capsaicin containing chiles.  Importantly, research suggests that capsaicin can block the analgesic effect of acupuncture. Additionally, capsaicin can cause dose-dependent hemolysis of erythrocytes.

Capsaicin itself is odorless and flavorless; it does not really ‘taste’ hot in the sense of temperature but rather elicits a pain response. The chemical binds to pain and heat receptors in the mucosa of the mouth and throat which the nervous system interprets as burning, just like touching a hot stove. Cell membranes contain a nociception receptor, TRVP1. This protein’s function is the detection and regulation of body temperature and provides a sensation of scalding heat and pain. The body’s response includes salivation, runny nose, watery eyes, diaphoresis (which cools the body temporarily through evaporate cooling), and the release of endorphins and dopamine. For many people, this endorphin and dopamine release provides a reduction in the pain sensation and a pleasurable sense of well-being. By nature’s design, animals should avoid capsaicin-containing plants, but after the initial sense of being burned, the euphoria and mild ‘high’ that follows seems like a sensory pleasure that many people pursue with gusto. Hotter chiles and larger quantities enhance the feeling. Over time, with regular consumption of capsaicin chiles, a person can become less sensitive, requiring more, and hotter, chiles. This behavior is an example of mild physical adaption or tolerance. All together this could be defined as addiction.  From my experience, and millions of others, it is worth the burn, and delicious.

Why do People Consume Chiles?

Despite the challenging heat that accompanies their consumption, eating spicy food in hot weather is a widespread practice across many cultures worldwide. This tradition is not accidental but serves functional and cultural purposes.

Interestingly, chiles are consumed in hot climates because the physiological cascade of the diaphoretic effect of capsaicin includes both an initial sensation of heat and responses that promote cooling. As sweat evaporates from the skin, it cools the body and other energetic attributes of chile results in a sense of significant cooling. The heat from the heat and spice may initially feel intense, but the result is that a person feels cooler in hot climates.

Historically, spices, especially in tropical and warm regions, were used in food storage and preservation. Before the advent of modern refrigeration, chiles and other spices were used for their antimicrobial properties to prevent food spoilage and ward off insects.

Cultural preferences evolving over generations led to ingrained culinary traditions where hot and spicy foods became culturally emblematic and widely preferred. Many cuisines pair hot peppers with hydrating foods and balance dishes with buttermilk, coconut milk, yogurt, cheese, or other ‘balancing’ ingredients to offset the burning flavor of the chiles. Caution: Beer and water do not lessen the fire of red chiles! Taste preferences for spicy foods are often culturally transmitted rather than genetically. Early exposure to spicy dishes helps individuals develop a tolerance and even a liking for their fiery flavor, creating a cultural cycle that sustains such eating habits.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Considerations

Since chile peppers did not arrive in China until the sixteenth century, they are not found in the 7th-century Materia Dietetica (食療本草; Shíliáo běncǎo). When first introduced, the plants were treasured as ornamentals. However, chiles are found in the 52-volume Compendium of Materia Medica (本草纲目/Běncǎo gāngmù), originally authored by Li Shizhen. Although not strictly speaking about a Chinese herb, in Chinese food therapy, there is a famous saying, "medicine and food, same origin" (药食同源 / yàoshí tóngyuán).

Most of the chiles grown in and used in Chinese cuisine are Capsicum annuum along with a few varieties of Capsicum frutescens. There are at least eighteen varieties cultivated in China. The most popular are the Facing Heaven (Miànxiàng tiāntáng/ 面向天堂), Bullet Head (Zǐ dàn tóu / 子彈頭), and Lantern (Dēng lóng / 燈籠) varieties. In general, chiles are known as Là jiao/ 辣椒 or simply ‘red (or hot) chile’.

The flavor or taste (wei 味) of La jiao is pungent/spicy/acrid and the innate property or nature (xing 性) is hot (rè  熱). This combination of pungent and hot is expansive and dispersive, stimulating the circulation of Qi and Blood, and tending to move energy upwards, downwards, and outwards to the periphery of the body.

The channels that chile enters are the Lung, Stomach, Spleen, and Heart. Chile is known for its ability to tonify Yang and warm the body, especially the Middle Jiao. It also helps to promote Qi circulation by directing Qi downward, regulate blood circulation, disperse Cold, resolve Dampness, and expel Wind. It is specifically good for treating Wind-Damp-Cold Bi and consequently, La jiao is found in many liniments.

The pungent flavor enters and clears the lungs of mucus conditions caused by Wind Cold or Damp/Phlegm.  (La jiao should be avoided if there are Heat conditions anywhere in the body).

Various pharmacological effects attributed to chiles include effects on the digestive system include promoting appetite and improving digestion, stimulating the oral mucosa, reflexively enhancing gastric motility, increasing saliva secretion and amylase activity, and possibly increasing the total acidity of gastric juice, which may assist in the digestion of protein.

The consumption of chiles causes transient diaphoresis, activating the body’s sweat glands, which release moisture to the skin, followed by evaporative cooling. Additionally, this action may assist in the Release of the Exterior when dispelling Evil Qi Wind conditions. Perhaps, more significantly, the resultant increased blood circulation and boosted metabolism help redistribute heat away from the body’s core, such that the body radiates heat, which also helps a person feel cooler. Persistent consumption of chiles can lead to desensitization and tolerance, making your body more efficient at managing higher temperatures.

Cautions: The consumption of chiles may worsen the condition of the nervous, thin, or Yin deficient person. Also, according to the Inner Classic, "In Qi diseases, avoid too much pungent food." This applies in cases of deficient Qi including weakness, or stagnant Qi due to excess Liver conditions. Those who are overweight from overeating should choose cooling pungent foods rather than hot ones like chiles.

In conclusion, I love chile peppers. Even though I now live in the Great Pacific Northwest, where it is never really ‘hot’ (but it can be damp), I eat chiles regularly. In fact, I included green chiles in my omelet this morning, covered with queso fresco and Cholula hot sauce, along with corn tortillas. I no longer eat chiles every day, but sometimes, I crave the taste. What’s more, I discovered last year that Hatch comes to the Safeway grocery store in Anacortes every August. I cannot wait to get my bushel this year. Hatch now sends fresh green chiles to nearly every state. I left a link in the References section, so you can find out when and where they are coming near you. Am I addicted? You be the judge. Could be worse!

References

About the Author

Skye Sturgeon, DAOM is the Quality Assurance Manager and Special Consultant for Mayway, USA. Skye was the former Chair of Acupuncture & East Asian Medicine and core faculty member at Bastyr University, core faculty member and Faculty Council Chair at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and President and Senior Professor of the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley. Before making Chinese medicine his career choice, Skye held various positions in the Natural Foods Industry for 12 years and prior to that was a clinical biochemist and toxicologist.

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