Some nations, like Mexicans, Thai, or Indians, prefer quite hot-spicy food, which is prepared using one of the chilli pepper species. I knew that some peppers are not hot-spicy at all, some are little hot, and some are very hot. I was wondering if all hot peppers are equally hot, and how dangerous are they for the health. Wikipedia again answered my questions. Apparently, there exists a hotness scale, called Scoville scale, according to which mediterranean peperoncino is among the least hot. One of the hottest chilli, called naga jolokia, is around 10 000 times hotter than peperoncino and 400 times hotter than tobasco.

The active components of chilli are called capsaicinoids. Opposed to what I thought before, capsaicinoids do not destroy our tissues similar to bases or acids, but trick our nerve receptors simulating the effects of the extreme heat. Despite that, the effects of capsaicinoids can be very severe and even lethal, because the reaction affects many processes starting from ion exchange to breathing. One more thing I was suspecting - the water can only cool down the affected area, but to remove capsaicin you are suggested to use soaps, detergents, and even oils and vinegars.