Why Does Mint Make Everything Taste Cold?

We ’ve all done it . You ’re chewing some jaw chewing gum , reach for your glass of H2O , take a swig and … whoa . Why does the water taste so inhuman ?

Well , we can safely tell you that it’snot thaumaturgy . There is some actual science behind it , and it ’s kinda cool .

At the heart of the consequence is a protein called the short-lived receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8 . If you ca n’t remember that , it ’s more merely calledTRPM8 .

It ’s find in our cold - smell nerve jail cell , and it ’s responsible for moving ions across cell membrane . However , it only trigger in cold temperatures , alert the mentality that the temperature has dropped .

It does this by allowing in sodium and calcium ions when it generate colder . This sends a stream from the tissue layer of the nerve cell , and hey presto – the brain knows it ’s cold .

But it ’s not just temperature that activate TRPM8 . Menthol , an constitutional chemical found in peppermint and flock rock oil , can also activate TRPM8 . We do n’t quite have it off how it does this but , well , it does .

This entail that when you consume something minty , which contains menthol , TRPM8 is tricked intoopening its doorsand Army of the Pure in atomic number 11 and atomic number 20 ion . A signaling is then incorrectly sent to your wit tell it that the temperature has dropped .

It ’s not just when it is ingested , too . Applying menthol to your cutis , such as in a shower colloidal gel , make your skin go cold and numb . It ’s the same effect take space here , which can also help reduce inflammation .

Something similar works with live things , too .   Ever wonder why chili con carne peppers make you feel red-hot ? Well , that ’s due to compound calledcapsaicinoids , which bind to receptors that make your brain respond to pain sensation from heat , cause thing like teary optic and a runny nose . This can also , well , make youfeel high .

So the next time you pop out that mint in your mouth , just remember that while it might smack great , your poor body is panic as it think the temperature is dropping . A   least it makes that gulp of water taste all the more refreshful .