The One Chip Challenge is a viral internet challenge where participants eat a single tortilla chip made by Paqui Chips that is seasoned with an extremely hot pepper powder. The chip is made with the Carolina Reaper pepper, one of the hottest peppers in the world, as well as scorpion pepper and chili extract.
After eating the chip, many people notice that their tongue temporarily turns blue or purple in color. This surprising and dramatic effect has led many to wonder, why does eating this spicy chip cause your tongue to change colors?
There are a few scientific reasons behind this reaction.
The Extreme Spiciness Causes a Chemical Reaction
The main reason the One Chip Challenge turns your tongue blue relates to the sheer intensity of the spices in the chip. According to the Scoville scale, a measurement of spiciness, the Carolina Reaper scores about 1.5 million Scoville heat units on average. To put that into perspective, a jalapeño chili scores around 2,500 to 8,000 units. So the Carolina Reaper is over 100 times hotter than a jalapeño!
When you eat something extremely spicy like the One Chip Challenge, it contains capsaicin, the chemical compound in peppers that gives them their heat. Capsaicin tricks your pain receptors into thinking your tongue is literally burning, which is why you feel intense heat and pain.
This influx of capsaicin causes a chemical reaction in your tongue tissue, particularly increasing blood flow to the area. More blood rushes to the surface capillaries in your tongue, giving it a swollen and blue/purple tint. The effect is temporary and harmless, but certainly alarming to see!
Increased Blood Flow
As mentioned, eating intensely spicy peppers causes increased blood circulation to your mouth and tongue. This is your body’s natural response to try to cool the burning feeling and tissue irritation caused by the capsaicin.
More specifically, capsaicin activates your trigeminal nerve. This nerve detects chemical irritation and temperature in your face and mouth. When activated by capsaicin, it senses burning, which makes your body react as if your tongue is literally on fire.
To deal with this “injury,” your body pumps more blood to the area through vasodilation, or widening of the blood vessels. This brings more blood to the surface capillaries, causing the blue/purple swollen appearance of your tongue.
So in summary, the One Chip Challenge tricks your trigeminal nerve into thinking you burned your tongue, so your body sends extra blood to deal with the non-existent injury. This increased circulation and dilation of blood vessels leads to the temporary blue tongue.
Breakdown of Tissue
Some doctors also believe the extreme spice causes mild breakdown of the tissue on the tongue surface.
Capsaicin binds to pain receptors, which are located on nerve endings. With a high enough concentration, the chemical can start to break down and damage those delicate nerve endings.
When the nerve endings become damaged or inflamed, they leak hemoglobin and turn the tongue blue or purple temporarily. However, this effect should be very mild and cause no permanent damage.
Myoglobin Changes the Color
In addition to hemoglobin from damaged capillaries, myoglobin released from muscle cells may contribute to the blue tongue.
Myoglobin is a protein found in muscle tissue that carries and stores oxygen. When muscle cells are stressed and inflamed, they can release myoglobin into the bloodstream.
Since myoglobin has a dark blue color, it can also stain the tissue of the tongue blue as it leaks from muscle. However, myoglobin does not stay in the blood very long before being filtered out by the kidneys.
So in the case of the One Chip Challenge, some experts think myoglobin leakage causes a temporary blue color along with the hemoglobin from broken capillaries. But this effect should resolve within a few hours.
Is the Blue Tongue Dangerous?
Seeing your tongue turn blue suddenly can definitely be alarming! However, in the case of spicy peppers like the One Chip Challenge, it is not dangerous or a cause for concern.
The blue tongue is simply caused by temporary inflammation that increases blood flow and leads to some leakage of hemoglobin and myoglobin.
According to doctors, this swelling and discoloration should resolve within a few hours after eating the pepper. It does not represent any deeper damage or long-term effects.
The One Chip Challenge does not expose your tongue to chemicals or dyes, only the natural capsaicin found in extremely hot peppers. Capsaicin is not toxic or harmful in any way, just irritating.
Of course, those with sensitivities or allergies to peppers may want to avoid this challenge. And forcing yourself to eat peppers well beyond your tolerance level can cause more stomach upset. But for most people, seeing a blue tongue after eating an insanely hot pepper just represents a rapid inflammatory response, nothing more serious.
Tips for Dealing with a Blue Tongue
If you take the One Chip Challenge and notice your tongue turning blue, here are some tips for dealing with it:
– Stay calm, the effect should pass within a few hours. Avoid irritating your tongue further by eating/drinking anything else spicy or acidic.
– Drink milk or eat ice cream. Dairy products can help neutralize capsaicin and soothe your burning mouth.
– Suck on an ice cube. Ice will numb your mouth and tongue, providing temporary relief.
– Brush your teeth. This can help remove any lingering pepper oils from your mouth.
– Take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen to reduce swelling and inflammation.
– Use a warm saltwater rinse to soothe your tongue and flush your mouth.
– Avoid hot foods and beverages until the inflammation subsides.
– Apply something cold to the outside of your mouth like a washcloth or ice pack.
– Use a numbing oral gel containing benzocaine, which will provide temporary relief.
The blue color itself is harmless and will go away on its own. But these tips can provide comfort from the burning, stinging sensation caused by the capsaicin until your tongue recovers.
The Takeaway
Seeing your tongue turn blue temporarily after eating something extremely spicy like the One Chip Challenge can be unsettling. However, it is simply caused by increased blood flow to the tongue’s surface capillaries in response to chemical irritation, as well as possible minor leakage of hemoglobin and myoglobin.
While uncomfortable, this reaction is not dangerous or a cause for long-term concern. The blue color should fade within a few hours. Using dairy, cold treatments, numbing gels, and ibuprofen can help provide relief in the meantime.
So if you’re brave enough to take the One Chip Challenge, you can expect a blue tongue but know it’s only temporary discoloration, not a deeper injury. Just be prepared for mouth-burning spice!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the blue tongue last after eating the One Chip Challenge?
For most people, the blue tongue resolves within 3-4 hours after eating the extremely spicy One Chip. It may last slightly longer if you have a particularly strong inflammatory response. But it should disappear within 6-8 hours at the most.
Is a blue tongue a sign of an allergy?
A blue tongue by itself is not necessarily a definitive sign of a food allergy. Allergies can sometimes cause a temporary blue tint, but usually other allergy symptoms would be present like itching, swelling, hives, etc. The One Chip Challenge causes a blue tongue mainly due to chemical irritation, unless you know you have a pepper allergy.
Can you prevent your tongue from turning blue during the One Chip Challenge?
There’s no great way to prevent the blue tongue reaction when eating an extremely spicy pepper like the Carolina Reaper. The chemical irritation will trigger increased blood flow regardless. The best you can do is be prepared and have milk, ice cream, etc on hand to help cool your mouth afterward.
Is a blue tongue after eating spicy food related to cyanide poisoning?
No, a temporary blue tongue from spicy food has no relation to cyanide poisoning. Cyanide would cause many other severe symptoms beyond just color change. The One Chip Challenge contains purified capsaicin extract, not any poisonous compounds. The blue tongue is simply caused by inflammatory response to the natural chemical irritation.
Should you go to the hospital if your tongue turns blue from the One Chip Challenge?
Going to the hospital is not necessary if you have a blue tongue after eating the One Chip Challenge, as it’s a harmless reaction that will resolve quickly. Only seek medical care if you have an accompanying severe allergic response like swelling or difficulty breathing. The blue color alone is not dangerous.
Conclusion
While having your tongue temporarily turn blue may be shocking, it’s a common reaction to eating intensely hot peppers like in the One Chip Challenge. The color change is caused by increased blood flow to the tongue’s surface capillaries in response to capsaicin irritation, along with possible leakage of hemoglobin and myoglobin. Though uncomfortable, it’s not dangerous and will fade in a few hours. Using cold treatments, dairy, numbing gel, and ibuprofen can provide relief until the inflammatory response subsides. So the next time you try an insanely spicy pepper, be prepared for a blue tongue!