Did you ever wonder why pepper makes you sneeze? This weekend I was sprinkling pepper on my salad and had to turn my head to let out a huge sneeze! I thought I would share more about this whole sneezing phenomenon.
Pepper contains an alkaloid called piperine. An alkaloid is defined as “Any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds of plant origin that have pronounced physiological actions on humans.” Sneezing is definitely a physiological response.
So this alkaloid (piperine) stimulates and irritates the nerve endings inside the nose. When my mucous membranes inside my nose encounter the piperine in the pepper, they involuntarily release a chemical called histamine. This histamine causes the muscle to constrict, resulting in a sneeze. That is how my nose rids itself of the irritant.
Any kind of pepper including white, black or green contains piperine and can make you sneeze. Pink peppercorns do not contain this alkaloid because they are not actually peppercorns, but they are called this because they are similar in size to black, white and green peppercorns and have a similar flavor.
Some people are more sensitive than others and sneeze more often. I’m probably one of these people. Most times I walk into our building I have to cover my mouth and let out a sneeze. And of course it’s not just our pepper doing it, peperine is found in other spices as well. It’s totally worth it though. Every time I open the front door the pleasant and distinctive aroma of our spices beckon me inside and I greet everyone with an enthusiastic sneeze!
