Don't worry, death by chili pepper is pretty uncommon (so uncommon Google couldn't even tell me how many people die a year from it, and Google knows all). However, this pepper is giving all other spicy things a run for their money and topping off as the spiciest pepper ever discovered (thus far at least). Your body reacts like it's burning in a fire if you try one of these babies.
What's The Name of This Creature?
Image from WikiCommons
The name for this nightmare of a chili pepper is fitting. It's called Dragon's Breath. Actually, is there a name that's fitting enough for a chili pepper so hot that it has the power to kill and is 300 times spicier than a jalapeño? Probably not. Or it would be something more along the lines of Grim Reaper MegaDeath 3000.
Why Is It So HOT?
To put a number to heat like this, we must look at the Scoville scale. This scale measures the "hotness" of different peppers, more specifically the amount of capsaicin in each pepper. Military-grade pepper spray is a solid 2 million on the Scoville scale, the Caroline Reaper comes in at 2.2 million, and the Dragon's Breath comes in at a whopping 2.48 million.
Back to the capsaicin to explain what makes a pepper go from a bell pepper to a Dragon's Breath. This chemical releases the spicy sensation we all experience when we put too much Tabasco on our Chipotle. Our brains actually perceive this spiciness as heat, such as getting burnt in a fire.
Our brains usually produce endorphins to block that pain, but when the spicy levels are just off the chart, the body continues to think you are literally burning and kills layer after layer of skin cells. Your body literally thinks your burning to death in a fire. It can lead to anaphylactic shock, severe burns and even closing of the throat.
So, Should We Try It!?
No! WTF? Are you insane? Why are you even fantasizing the idea? This pepper has never been tried by humans and actually wasn't even created to be consumed by humans. It is so powerful that it can numb the skin on contact.
I will surely stick to the trusty old bell pepper and maybe if I'm feeling crazy, I'll sprinkle a bit of cayenne on my Brussels sprouts. The Dragon Breath's pepper is not something you want in your kitchen and definitely not in your mouth.