/oss/taxonomy/term/870/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 ā€œhotā€ 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. Thatā€™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 ā€œMeet Your Maker.ā€ 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 /oss/article/did-you-know/khat-and-not-fuzzy-kind <p>Khat is a plant native to Africa that when chewed produces a stimulant effect, similar to amphetamines. Itā€™s regulated in several countries (including Canada) and its use actually predates the drinking of coffee. In Yemen khat is chewed in a way similar to chewing tobacco, in social settings, and is so popular that 40% of the countryā€™s water supply goes to irrigating its growth.</p> <hr /> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/AdaMcVean">@AdaMcVean</a></p> Wed, 10 Jan 2018 00:02:32 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6877 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-history-quirky-science-toxicity/birth-amphetamine <p>First synthesized by Lazar Edeleanu in Germany in 1887, amphetamine remained quietly under the radar until it came to the attention of chemist Gordon Alles in 1929.Ā  Alles was looking for an asthma medication that was better than the drugs available at the time.Ā  To test its safety, he took amphetamine himself, noting only a ā€œfeeling of well beingā€ as a side effect.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 03:20:59 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2105 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-drugs-food-health-history/attention-amphetamines <p>During the Second World War Allied soldiers and pilots, like the Germans, were also issued amphetamines. This was not without controversy. The Luftwaffe soon gave up on the drugs because amphetamines seemed to make pilots overconfident and less attentive to details. A Canadian study found no distinction in performance on obstacle courses or on long marches between drugged and non-drugged soldiers, although the amphetamine takers performed the tasks with greater exuberance. It seemed that amphetamines boosted morale even if they did not improve performance.</p> Sun, 02 Mar 2014 15:13:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2106 at /oss