"Cheers!" – why do we sneeze after pepper?

Maybe it has also happened to you that you were crushing your favorite Kampot pepper into food when suddenly you felt a tickling in your nose and an uncontrollable urge to sneeze. Hopefully, you managed to quickly turn your head away, otherwise the salad might have been seasoned with something that was never originally planned. Why does pepper make us sneeze? The answer is piperine. 

Piperine is what makes pepper peppery

Piperine could be described as the soul of peppercorns. This alkaloid is precisely what causes its pungent taste, contributes to its aroma, and is also the reason for the many health benefits that pepper brings.

Alkaloids, that is nitrogen-containing organic compounds of plant origin, can irritate the nerve endings inside the nose. As soon as the alkaloid hits the mucous membrane, it begins producing a chemical called histamine. And it is histamine that causes muscle contraction, which results in sneezing.

What happens to our body?

The body tries in this way to expel the substance that is irritating the mucous membrane. Piperine is contained in all the colored varieties of pepper. However, its highest concentration is in black pepper. It is interesting that during sneezing we can also observe a very strong flash in the eyes. This is the body's reaction to the high pressure in the head during sneezing. This pressure can also affect the retina, which is sensitive to light.

So next time you work with pepper, be prepared for the imminent danger of sneezing. And also be prepared that it will be accompanied either by the wish "to your health" or the phrase: "It's true."

While the first custom has its roots in the Middle Ages, when people wished each other strong health during plague pandemics, in the second case people already in antiquity took sneezing as confirmation of the truth of the statement preceding the sneeze. The divination from sneezes, which was practiced in ancient Rome, fortunately, has been lost to history. We can reinterpret that prophecy in our own way, for example: It is true that Kampot pepper is the best in the world. :-)

Are you interested in what piperine does in your body? Read another article about its health benefits.