Why does peppermint feel cool

In fact, our nerves have similar proteins to sense hot temperatures as well. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives hot peppers their zing, directly activates TRP-V1, giving that intense feeling of heat.

Menthol, eucalyptus oil and other cooling agents have long been used to relieve arthritic and other muscle and bone pain. Just like your mouth feels numb when you eat peppermint, applying menthol on your skin activates the cold-sensing nerves making the area go numb. Now you no longer feel the pain. Menthol can also bind to another receptor called kappa opioid receptor that can also produce a numbing effect.

Rubbing menthol on aching muscles also causes the nearby blood vessels to widen, increasing blood flow in the area. This is called vasodilation. Blood carries in fresh nutrients to repair the area and carries away any toxic waste generated. Healing happens a lot faster because of this. Lastly menthol takes away the bad effects of inflammation.

Menthol gives a sensation of cooling by activating TRPM8 without any actual fall in temperature in that area. This brings down the inflammation in the area. TRP-V1 is activated by hotter temperature, but also responds to capsaicin, the chemical responsible for the spiciness of hot peppers.

This can cause even ice cold drinks to feel hot. So what would happen if you ate a chili pepper that's been in the freezer, or a warmed up mint?

Or ate a hot pepper and a cool mint at the same time? Would the hot and cold perceptions cancel each other out? To be honest, we're not sure. Has anyone ever tried this at home? BY Matt Soniak. We crave its unique sensation of coldness, but exactly what causes that? It's the menthol in peppermint that makes it feel so cold, even when it isn't.

And we now know that menthol actually fools our brain into thinking peppermint is cold because of the nerves it activates there: the same nerves associated with the sensation of cold. A neurobiologist, David McKemy, at the University of Southern California recently figured this out and created a video explaining how menthol, particularly in peppermint, works to create that coldness.

In his research, McKemy and his team used menthol in understanding how our brains detect the difference between hot and cold and how it reacts to those sensations. In their findings, they discovered a protein in menthol that sends an electrical signal to the brain alerting it of coldness. The brain responds with the cold sensation in the nerve receptors in the mouth. Although science can't tell us why, we love the cold sensation in the mouth that menthol brings. That's why it's a popular ingredient not just in peppermint, but also in over-the-counter cough medicines and cigarettes.