Why Does Spicy Taste 'Hot' and Minty Taste 'Cool'?

A Quick Question answer that explains the chemistry that makes minty things taste “cool” and spicy things taste “hot”.

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[jarmo_kiiski]

"Ma facehole is on fire!!!" Hank Greene 2014

[skudzer]

So what happens if you eat a hot pepper covered in menthol?

[TheyCallMeGawd]

I was gonna say magic but this explanation will do I guess...

[lloydmeadors]

In Japanese, both sensations are described as karai 辛い, first time i gave a mint to one of my students, they said KARAI! Which i thought only meant spicy, but it actually describes the intensity of a sensation in your mouth.

Just thought i'd share this little tidbit of information.

[MattProvance]

One of my favorite things I have ever eaten was at a Thai restaurant in Williamsport PA. It was called "Mint Fried Rice." It had fresh mint leaves and chili peppers in it. The simultaneous interplay of the hot and cold sensations as well as the actual flavors of those and all the ingredients was phenomenal. I have, unfortunately, not been back, nor have I found a similar dish at any other restaurant I have visited. But I always look. If anyone has a source in Maryland or a good recipe that would be awesome.

[watvid]

Why can't I just tell my mouth... You're being tricked you fool!?

[sammyscrap]

@0:20 that pepper looks like it's giving you the middle finger. Just to let you know exactly what you're in for.

[TheBertjeT]

Is that why it "hurts" when you drink cold water after eating a very minty candy? The receptors are already triggered by the menthol so the water magnifies is? Or how does this work. And is this unpleasant feeling actually harmful?

Does anyone know what I am taking about, or do I make no sense at all?

[Angela.Perkins]

'Cold' flavors can also be painful in high enough doses, like some strong minty toothpastes and mouthwashes, or a bottle of pure mint extract.

[daracaex]

Here's an interesting question:  Why do we have no words to describe smell?  Every time we make an effort to communicate a smell to someone else, it's through some of the same words that might describe taste or else through simile, describing it by comparison to something else.

Is this problem unique to English specifically, or do humans in general just not care to attempt to describe scents accurately?

[ThatSoddingGamer]

I did not know this.  It's pretty weird the way your body reacts to those chemicals when you think about it.

Doesn't this also apply to artificial sweeteners in a way?  I mean, they aren't sugar, your body can't process them like sugar, but they taste sweet.

[hubes]

Tried to sneak a friend a chili in his mints, but I ended up confessing, saying 'it's a TRPM8!'. It was absolutely menthol.

[MrDroopdog]

I have never associated mint with cold. This is the first time I've seen anyone do so. I never felt the "cold" feeling from mint. Is my mouth broken?

[DrWhteCat]

This phenomenon is also how an anosmic (one who cannot smell) can still detect mintiness and certain spices. There are thermoreceptors in the mucous membrane that react to these compounds, and so they are still aware of it. In fact, peppermint was the only thing I got right on my anosmia test and it was for that sole reason.

[HellsMascot]

This was explained very well, and is free of inaccuracies and misinformation. Great job, SciShow!

[TommyCrosby]

In English you guys use temperature words to describe these two sensation but for some reasons, in French we mostly use only one word: Strong. We do use French for Hot and Cool but it's more common to put both feelings with a single word and I don't know why.

[FriendlyLlama]

Hank's brain is telling our brain about why our brains are easily fooled. And my brain writes about how Hank's brain tells our brain how our brains are easily fooled.

[LordVarreus]

Hey you guys should do an Anatomy and Physiology series! I just went through one of a two part program at my program and I recognized a lot of the concepts/terms used here. It made me think it would be pretty awesome if you guys went over a full length series. 

[HAGZ]

As a latino who constantly eats spicy stuff I have never fell "heat" as result, we use a different word "picante" (which doesn't releate to temperature) to descibe the sensation, always found funny when tourist say "es muy caliente!"

[MankindsCure]

Put menthols in hot sauce and eat it. What effect do you get?