Bite into a chili pepper and your tongue feels heat, even though the actual temperature in your mouth doesn’t change. A similar trick occurs with mint.
Mint is an herb with a cool character, popular in both food and medicine around the globe. Its coolness comes from a volatile oil called menthol. This waxy, crystalline chemical stimulates the same receptors in our cells that experience cold. Menthol is why cough drops, toothpaste, and mint gum give your mouth that icy feel.
