Miss Universe National Costumes Winner, 2017
tgpineapple: Your mouth has receptors called TRPM8 that usually respond when there is low temperature in your mouth which tells your body “Hey its cold!”. It does this by opening an ion channel and letting charged molecules flow through which creates an electric signal that goes your brain.
Menthol or mint oil in mint gum can bind to these receptors, causing them to activate. This tells your brain “Hey its cold!” in your mouth when it really isn’t.
A similar mechanism exists for chillies, which is why they’re “Hot”.
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