Here’s What You Need to Know About the World’s Hottest Chili

Here’s What You Need to Know About the World’s Hottest Chili

It’s unique, dangerous and thousands of times hotter than a jalapeno.

First of all, know that if you eat one, you could end up pretty sick. This chili is called the Carolina Reaper and recently, a 34-year old man who ate one in a chili eating contest in New York ended up in hospital.

He developed something known as thunderclap headaches that were so painful, he turned himself in to the local emergency room.

What actually happened to him? It seems like the chili disagreed with him…severely. Immediately after eating the Reaper, reports indicate the man experienced dry heaves.

A couple of days later he started experiencing “crushingly painful” headaches, for a few seconds at a time.

Related: The World’s 5 Hottest Peppers and How to Eat Them

“Thunderclap” headaches happen when the vessels supplying blood to your brain suddenly tighten. It causes a condition known as reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCSV), something that’s extremely inconvenient, but eventually goes away.

The Carolina Reaper is a man-made chili. Over a decade ago Ed Currie from the Pucker Butt Pepper Company in South Carolina developed it himself. It’s exceedingly hot, pulling in an average of 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). FYI, jalapeno peppers score somewhere between 2,500 and 8,000 SHU.

What should you do if you encounter one? Don’t rub your eyes if you’ve touched one with bare hands. Ouch. Wash up first with soap and water. And eat one if you dare…but don’t say no one warned you.

Photo credits: Lenscap Photography/Shutterstock.com

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