The Bhut Jolokia Chilly and the Capsaicin Factor

Abstract

Abstract
The Bhut Jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world’s spiciest chilly. It has a hotness of 1,041,427 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). The chilly is grown and eaten in India’s northeastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura, referred as the hot spots for chilly diversity due to their unique ecological conditions and also, in countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A number of variants of this chilly with different local names such as Ghost Chilly, Bih Jolokia, Umorok are noted in the northeastern regions of India. Capsaicin, referred as nature's own chemical weapon, is responsible for the hot taste and pungency given by hot peppers. The intensity of hotness is thus directly proportional to the capsaicin content in peppers. It is actually a chemical compound synthesized by chilly, apparently to defend against microbes, fungi, and herbivores. Apart from its various uses as the ethnobotanical medicine and recently, a wide medicinal applications of capsaicin such as an antioxidant, in pain relief, anti obesity treatment, antimicrobial agent and even as anticancer molecule, the Indian Military has decided to make hand grenades out of the ghost chilly to immobilize suspects, which is definitely going to be an effective non-toxic weapon. Moreover, as the Government of Nagaland has got the patent rights for the Naga Chilli which may certainly add to the economic prospects of the region.

Keywords: Bhut Jolokia chilly, capsaicin, ethnobotanical medicine, recent researches, green weapon

Cite this Article
Meera V.
The Bhut Jolokia Chilly and the
Capsaicin Factor Research & Reviews:
Journal of Herbal Science . 2019; 8(3):
8 12 p.