To some degree, one can educate and retrain their tongue, and throat to tolerate hot spices, but at some point, the troika of your
Heart, Blood Pressure and Stomach will rebel and say, No! Not Acceptable. You have been warned. If you take even one bite more, the three of us will send the whole thing back upstairs by express elevator, whether you’re ready or not.
Peppers are good for blood pressure, and an overdose does not result in vomiting, but severe cramping. Hot food is addicting and tolerances vary, but there are few peppers that are truly dangerous—you just can’t ingest enough to hurt yourself.
The worst physical effect is burning the stomach lining, but that is rare. One guy in England supposedly died from a pepper sauce he made, but it was probably an allergic response.
I eat ghost pepper sauces and love spice. I don’t cook spicy foods for others—and do not share. It’s not for everyone, but I love it.
I have eaten tons of hot peppers and look for the spiciest hot sauces whenever I go to the Caribbean and Mexico. I love real Indian and Thai food (not safe for white people) and can eat habeneros raw—like a relish. Peppers are fruits, and the flavors are very distinct.
One of the problems with hot foods is many people making it don’t taste it, leaving the food too bitter, sweet or flavorless.
I ordered a ghost pepper taco once and it consisted of chicken topped with slices of raw ghost pepper, lettuce and cheese. It was horrid—no flavor at 30+ million Scovilles.
It gave me a severe stomach ache and a mild case of shock.