PORTSMOUTH — A 25-year-old man was brought to Portsmouth Regional Hospital on Sunday afternoon with severe abdominal pain after swallowing a quarter tablespoon of capsaicin extract, according to the city's public police log. He was found behind Port City Nissan on the Spaulding Turnpike after he ingested the substance, which is derived from chili peppers.

PORTSMOUTH — A 25-year-old man was brought to Portsmouth Regional Hospital on Sunday afternoon with severe abdominal pain after swallowing a quarter tablespoon of capsaicin extract, according to the city's public police log. He was found behind Port City Nissan on the Spaulding Turnpike after he ingested the substance, which is derived from chili peppers.



The act was initially thought to be a suicide attempt, but police later learned the man "just really likes hot sauce," according to the log.



Portsmouth Fire Chief Steve Achilles said the pepper extract is used in food preparation in small doses, but he hasn't seen a case where someone was hospitalized for drinking it straight.



Achilles said the recommended first aid measure for complications after eating something spicy is to drink cold milk, or a 10-percent sugar solution, which can negate the burning effect. Water is not recommended when it comes to relief from the burn of hot peppers, he said.



The heat of a chili pepper is measured on the Scoville scale from zero (bell pepper) to as high as 2,200,000 units (Carolina Reaper).



Achilles said he is not sure why someone would want to ingest something as hot as straight capsaicin extract, but he has seen similar cases in the past with other food ingredients. The Cinnamon Challenge, for example, which tasked a person to eat 1 tablespoon of cinnamon without the use of water in less than 60 seconds, has been known to sicken many people.



The fire chief said most of the food-related emergencies he has experienced are related to allergies or minor poisoning.