Short Interesting Facts About Us, the Human Body & More…
Did You Know That…

Sneezing is a reflex that is triggered when nerve endings inside the mucous membrane of the nose are stimulated.

Pepper, be it black, white, or green, contains an alkaloid of pyridine called piperine.

Piperine acts as an irritant if it gets into the nose. Pepper stimulates, or irritates, the nerve endings inside the mucous membrane. This stimulation will cause a person to sneeze. Actually, the nose wants to kick out this irritant and the only way it knows how to do this is by sneezing.

More Pepper Facts

* Pepper is known as the “king of spices” because it is one of the oldest and most popular spices in the world.

* Pepper was so valuable that in ancient Greece and Rome it was used as currency.

* It is believed that when the Goths defeated Rome in 410, they demanded a ransom of 3,000 pounds of pepper, along with other valuables such as silk.

* During the middle ages, peppercorns were accepted in lieu of money for dowries, rent and taxes.

* During the 19th century, Salem, Massachusetts played an important role in the world pepper trade and made some of America’s first millionaires.

Source: Everyday Mysteries – www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/pepper.html