Headline-seeking research claims Sichuan peppercorns can double as ********s
No one to have sex with and can't afford a ********? Well apparently eating Sichuan peppercorns feels exactly like pressing a ******** against your lips, that's according to researchers at University College London, where they're clearly conducting only the most Nobel Prize-worthy research.
Recent experiments showed that when they tried to rub pepper extract on the lips of volunteers, almost none of them could tell whether they were eating peppers or undergoing mechanical stimulation.
It sounds far-fetched perhaps, but the scientists, researchers at UCL, one of the UK's top universities, hope it might lead to new ways of reducing chronic pain in sufferers of conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome or even paralysis.
Szechuan peppercorn is unique among all other ingredients in producing the sensation of vibration on the lips, but the study reveals that stimuli caused by chemicals in the pepper have the same effect on the human brain as actual touch does.
Though if they really wanted to be sure that Sichuan peppercorns feel exactly like a ******** they would actually have the volunteers use the peppercorns as such. C'mon guys, Scientific Method.
And while the research is for a good cause, we can't help but think that soon we'll see a new line of Sichuan peppercorn-based sex products: peppercorn oils for the less well-endowed to rub on so they still give their partner the desired sensation, etc.
On a less raunchy note, Sichuan peppercorns are, under normal circumstances, a common ingredient in Sichuan cooking, counteracting the atomically spicy chilies with a euphoric tingling feeling (ma la) in probably the most sadomasochistic culinary experience you'll find.
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