The name or chemical compound responsible for a specific quality of some spices (numbness)
I'm putting together the results of a kitchen experiment and I'd like to be able to identify a phenomenon that I've noticed when using certain spices. I've felt it in some of what are often called "warm" spices, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg come to mind, but that's by no means a complete list. For lack of a better way to describe it, it's a subtle numbness. I feel it primarily on the hard palate, and the sensation (or lack thereof) lasts perhaps twice as long as the perception of the actual flavor of the spice. It's so subtle that it won't surprise me if nobody knows what I'm talking about, but I'm hopeful.
Best Answer
It could be eugenol that causes the numbing sensation you experience. Eugenol is common to cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, basil and bay leaf and is used in anesthetics & analgesics, among other things.
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Hydroxy-?-sanshool, the compound responsible for the numbing tingle!What causes numbing spice?
When you eat chillies, capsaicin induces a burning sensation known in Chinese as l\xe0. Sichuan peppercorns produce a phenomenon called paraesthesia, in which the lips and tongue feel as though they are vibrating and go vaguely numb \u2013 known as m\xe1.Does spice numb?
Although this is a common myth that does actually put a lot of people off from eating food that is too spicy, it isn't actually true. The myth stems from the sensation of numbness in the mouth that spicy food causes.What makes Szechuan peppercorns numbing?
Sichuan pepper has a citrus-like flavor and induces a tingling numbness, akin to a 50-hertz vibration, in the mouth due to the presence of hydroxy-alpha sanshool.What spice makes your tongue tingle?
A compound found in Sichuan peppercorns called hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, like capsaicin, binds to receptors in your tongue, convincing your brain of a \u201ctingly\u201d sensation.A-Z COMMON NAMES OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS
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