Why do you feel cold when you eat mint flavors

mintIn the case of taste ice cream etc., the inside of the mouth is actually cold, but when you eat cold gum or candy at room temperature, chocolate with mint flavor, mint leaf itself not actually cold like ice But what is the way that the inside of the mouth is soaked and how the air that has sucked in and the water that drinks are felt chilly and cold?

Details are as below.Why Mint Tastes Cold

Included in mintmentholIs on the human skin and tongueTRPM 8Proteins (selective permeation of ions in cell membranesIon channelIt reacts to a low temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or less, usually one of the proteins called), and by activating the receptor which feels "cold", the temperature of the tongue or skin surface actually decreases , I feel a "cold" stimulus even though the temperature of the air touching there is not lowered.

The receptor that feels "coldness" is not only in the mouth but also on the skin surface, so it is possible to obtain a cool and irritating stimulus including menthol, anti-itching, lip cream, poultice and so on. Because this receptor is also in the back of the throat, it is said that the feeling of refreshment is felt in the throat in the cigarette in which menthol is used for scenting, and the throat and respiratory inflammation associated with smoking are actually somewhat alleviated I will.

Menthol exists as whitish crystals or colorless and transparent crystals at room temperature, and it has the property to be taken at a temperature slightly higher than room temperature. It is contained in plants such as mint in nature, but since most of the demand for various uses such as foods, cosmetics, sanitary goods, pharmaceuticals, etc. exceeds the supply from nature, most of them are currently chemically synthesized . For industrialization of this menthol synthesisJapanese chemistIt seems that it contributed greatly.


Also, contrary to feeling cold when eating mint, when you eat chili, you feel "hot" though the temperature did not really rise, in English English expression of hot pepper spicy "Hot" However, even at this time it is included in chili pepperCapsaicinBy the action of menthol in a mechanism similar to activating receptors that feel "cold", usually responds to heat above 43 degrees CelsiusTRPV1It is said that the receptor called "capsaicin" activates and feels "hot".


Whether you feel "hot" when you eat pepper and mint at the same time or "feel cold" or if the thermal stimulus and cold stimulus cancel each other out, you do not feel anything in particular, it may be good to experiment with the person you care about Hmm.