Anyone who likes spicy will love this article. We are going to talk about the hottest chilli in the world. It's about the naga jolokia. It is known by its common name as a ghost chili pepper and refers to the pain that it literally produces when eating it. It is grown mainly in the Nassam State and is also known by other names such as Bhoot Jolokia, Bih Jolokia, Ghost Chili, and Ghost Pepper.
If you are passionate about hot peppers, we are going to talk about the characteristics, cultivation and properties of the Naga jolokia.
Key features
This name has not been randomized. If we look up the terminology, we can see that jolokia means plant and bih means poison. Since booh comes from the size of the plant, it can be summarized as the term bhoot jolokia means poisonous plant. Namely, its spiciness level becomes so strong that it is poisonous. Already many people end up very stung with the itch suffered by the cuaresmeño chili. Imagine what the itchiness of the Naga jolokia must be like.
And it is not for less that this pepper is registered in the Guinness Book of Records until 2010 as the hottest in the world. On the spicy scale, it has 1.040.020 SHU. The heat scale is measured in Scoville Heat Units. It was created in 1912.
All peppers belong to the Capsicum genus because they have a component inside them called capsaicin. This substance is what stimulates the receptor that we have in the skin that lets us know how hot or cold it is in the environment. When we eat a piece of naga jolokia, these receptors are activated making you believe that you are receiving something hot, when it really is not. In the SHU scale you can know the amount of capsaicin that the pepper has. The more you have of this substance, the more it will sting.
The effect that this substance produces in the body causes that as soon as it comes into contact with the skin, it causes the eyes to close and breathing begins to become difficult. Lots of people have experimented with the "ghost chilli challenge" and ended up really bad. And it is that, depending on the amount you eat, it will affect you more or less. Just a piece of the pepper It can cause an hour of pain, tremors and a burning sensation inside you. All of this translates into a stomach ache and a feeling of being unwell.
Here is a video of an amateur person eating Naga Jolokia:
Traditional uses of naga jolokia
This pepper is associated with numerous rural agricultural activities in the region. It's not just for doing stupid challenges and hurting yourself while trying to eat a single pepper. It is used to make numerous food formulas that include that flavor. It can be used in the creation of flavoring curry, as it has a high fragrance and quality heat. You have to know how to use it to take advantage of all its positive aspects. Added to the right ingredient and in the right concentration, ghost chilli can be a delight.
Although it seems contrary to what may be believed, this pepper is also used for numerous medicinal treatments. It is used for the treatment of headaches, night blindness problems, arthritis, gastritis, rheumatism, other digestive diseases and to reduce chronic congestion. This is not eating a piece of pepper and we will be cured of all these pathologies. It means that part of its components are used in the preparation of medicines necessary for the treatment of these problems.
On the other hand, some studies on the naga jolokia They have helped enormously to take advantage of it in other aspects such as:
- The ability to curing food without the need for it to be refrigerated. This lowers cure costs and increases profitability.
- It can treat asthma if consumed in very low amountsas it helps to dilate blood vessels.
- With it you can create ointments to treat some muscle pain.
- It is used to relieve toothache.
- If small amounts are mixed with a little lemon juice, it can help increase sweating and help flush toxins from the body. In addition, it helps the body eliminate heat.
- Another use is as a stimulating aphrodisiac.
Medical and scientific uses
Some peoples living near forests use pepper powder or the smoke it releases when burned to keep elephants away from crops. It has been cultivating the naga jolokia in the villages of Assam (in India) for more than 7.000 years.
Regarding medical purposes, it has applications in the treatment of obesity, anticancer therapies and as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. Capsaicin is made up of secondary metabolists that plants have. It is the main cause that all chili peppers bite. Depending on its concentration, the chili will be more or less hot.
Whether there is more or less capsaicin in a plant is determined by genetic, environmental, and crop management factors. This substance is mainly used as an additive in many foods and with the pharmaceutical applications that we have seen. One of the most interesting aspects of the latest studies is that capsaicin serves as an anticancer agent. This is the proof that everything is its correct dose can not be bad. It is the dose that makes the poison.
There is also numerous evidences from epidemiological and experimental studies that the phytochemicals in chili pepper are dietary and are also found in other fruits, vegetables, whole grains, spices and teas. These phytochemicals serve for the treatment of inhibition in the initiation, promotion, progression and metastasis of cancer. This is because capsaicin is a derivative of homovanillic acid and alters the expression of some genes that are involved in the survival of cancer cells in our body.
I hope that all this information helps you to know more about the naga jolokia And don't do anything crazy trying to eat it on your own.