Carolina Reaper appears to have narrowed the arteries in the competitive eater’s brain, causing a series of thunderclap headachesA man who took part in a chilli pepper eating contest ended up with more than he bargained for when he took on the hottest pepper in the world. After eating a Carolina Reaper pepper, the 34-year-old started dry heaving before developing a pain in his neck that turned into a series of thunderclap headaches: sudden and severe episodes of excruciating pain that peak within a minute. Scoville scale: The hottest chillies in the world– in pictures Read moreThe Carolina Reaper, which can top 2.2m on the Scoville heat scale, was the world’s hottest pepper at the time of the incident in 2016 – although new breeds called Pepper X and Dragon’s Breath have since reportedly surpassed it. Instead, they say, it is likely the Carolina Reaper was to blame. In 2016 a 47-year-old man had a brush with death after he tore his oesophagus by retching and straining after eating pureed ghost pepper.

Source: The Guardian April 09, 2018 22:30 UTC