Chili Pepper Travels & Turmeric Medicinal Chemistry

How obsessed with spicy are you? Ecologist Joshua Tewksbury from the University of Washington is willing to travel thousands of miles to Amboró National Park in central Bolivia just to answer one burning question: Why are chilies spicy? For those who prefer a different kind of spicy, a study in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry can shed light … Continue reading →

Capsaicin

Whether it is adding chili flakes to top off your pizza, Tabasco to your omelet, chili oil to your ramen, there’s no doubt adding these condiments can add flavor intensity to all our dishes. Interestingly, the burning sensation is actually not a taste, since the sensation does not arise from taste buds. Capsaicin stimulates nerves … Continue reading →