/oss/taxonomy/term/5946/all en /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition/sniffing-benzedrine-inhalers <p align="left">In 1943, the Smith, Kline and French pharmaceutical company added hot pepper extract to Benzedrine, its popular decongestant inhaler. The fiery taste of capsaicin, the compound responsible for the “hot” in hot peppers, was expected to prevent people from cracking open the casing of the inhaler and consuming the contents. Why would anyone want to do that? Simple: the active ingredient in the Benzedrine inhaler was amphetamine, a compound that could deliver a whamo of a high!</p> Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9144 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/time-i-thought-i-would-meet-my-maker <p>Being of Hungarian origin, I have had some experience with hot paprika. That’s why I was not averse to trying some of the hot sauces offered up for tasting at one of the many spice shops in New Orleans. I was cruising along, dipping crackers into various samples until I came to one called “Meet Your Maker.” I should have been deterred by the name and the fact that it came in a coffin-shaped box. What a memorable experience that turned out to be. And not in a good way! Never had I experienced such pain in the mouth.</p> Wed, 12 Jan 2022 23:00:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8978 at /oss