NOTE: This post was updated on 2/22/22 to include new information. It was originally published on 5/20/17. When it comes to superhot chili peppers, one thing is certain - they just keep getting hotter and hotter. Chili pepper experts and enthusiasts continually cross peppers all the time to develop new stable strains. Crossing various superhots with one another is a way to continually push the envelope of heat. Latest to be reported in the news is the Dragon’s Breath pepper, with mind numbing heat the rivals police grade pepper spray and surpasses the current reigning champ, the Carolina Reaper. There was a lot of media hype about these peppers when they first appeared, and many believe the information to be a hoax, with a great deal of misinformation reported, particularly regarding their ability to kill if ingested. It should be noted that these peppers are real and being grown, but they cannot kill you, and nothing has been scientifically proven with these peppers when it comes to heat. Regardless, they are worth growing and using. They were testing a special plant food and working with the resulting essential oils as a skin anesthetic. Capsaicin has well known properties related to anesthesia. The pepper was picked up and cultivated by Mike Smith, a breeder from St. Asaph in Denbighshire, United Kingdom, whose goal was not heat, but to grow an attractive pepper plant to enter in the Plant of the Year contest at the 2017 Chelsea Flower Show, heat being a side effect. It was named Dragon’s Breath after the Welsh dragon. The chili plants typically grow 4 feet in height and are productive. For comparison, the Carolina Reaper measures in at 2,200,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The Bhut Jolokia (aka Ghost Pepper), measures in at 1,001,304 Scoville Heat Units. A typical jalapeno pepper averages about 5,000 Scoville Heat Units, making this pepper up to 992 times hotter than a jalapeno pepper. Learn more about the Scoville Scale here. The Guinness World Records does not recognize the Dragon’s Breath pepper. I have heard no further word on testing, though more and more people are reporting growing them, and there are some Dragon’s Breath products for sale, like sauces. However, it is possible to overdose on capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers hot. One would need to eat more than 3 pounds of superhot peppers to achieve this. There have been reports of people ending up in the hospital in extreme situations after eating Carolina Reapers, the world’s hottest pepper currently, particularly those with previous medical conditions. There is also the story of a man who burned a hole in his esophagus from eating super hot peppers, but that is not entirely true. The truth is that the hole was formed from vomiting after he ate a burger with ghost pepper puree. While it is true that eating extremely hot peppers can cause vomiting, nausea and stomach pain, the reality is that they cannot tear or burn through any of your body parts. Learn more about the Carolina Reaper here.
Where to Buy Dragon’s Breath Peppers
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