Why It Hurts to Eat Hot Peppers (Video) (IMAGE) American Chemical Society Caption You have probably had the burning pleasure of eating a jalapeno or other tear-inducing pepper. What causes this painful fire in your mouth? The short answer is capsaicin. But what exactly is capsaicin? How does it work? Why do people drink milk to relieve the pain? Reactions has the chemistry to answer all these sizzling questions and more. Check it out here before you order those extra chilies: https://youtu.be/73yo5nJne6c. Credit The American Chemical Society Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.