Chili Pepper

All chili peppers come from the Capsicum genus — a nightshade family that also includes bell pepper, tomato, and potato. What varies between cultivars is the capsaicinoid concentration: poblanos sit around 1,000-2,000 Scoville units, jalapeños 4,000-8,000, habaneros 100,000-350,000, ghost peppers (bhut jolokia) over a million.

Reflux and gut sensitivity

Capsaicin relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, which is the mechanism behind chili-triggered reflux. The same compound increases gut motility and gastric acid secretion. For people with active GERD, IBS, gastritis, or ulcer disease, chili intake is one of the first foods to eliminate. People without these conditions usually tolerate substantial heat with no consequence beyond the transient burn.

Health effects in populations

Large cohort studies (most notably from China, Italy, and the US) consistently show people who eat chili several times a week have modestly lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The size of the effect is small and the confounders (lifestyle, cuisine patterns) substantial, so it's not a recommendation to add hot sauce for health — but it counters older worries that chili intake was actively harmful.

The heat is in the placenta (the white inner ribs that hold the seeds), not the seeds themselves — removing the placenta reduces heat far more than removing the seeds. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, which is why dairy or yogurt cuts the burn faster than water.