Word: capsaicin
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Dates: during 1992-1992
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...something" that turns the human system into a four-alarm fire is capsaicin, a chemical concentrated in the veins and seeds of the chile pod. A member of the nightshade family (as are tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco), the chile pepper is believed to have originated in South America. Incas and Mayans prized it for its vibrant flavor and curative powers, prescribing peppers for ailments as diverse as arthritis, epilepsy and the common cold. Pepper seeds carried back to Europe by Christopher Columbus eventually found their way to China, Korea, Thailand and India -- the last of which today leads all other...