Poison Center Director chimes in on cayenne pepper TikTok trend

(COLORADO) — A new and concerning trend is going around on TikTok where a person is swallowing a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder, with some social media users claiming it is a natural supplement for Adderall.

FOX21 News reached out to Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety (RMPDS) regarding the topic and spoke with Dr. Shireen Banerji, Poison Center Director, who expressed her concerns about the trend and explained what parents need to know and what to look out for.

“Even though it is a natural spice that doesn’t mean it’s harmless… and in excess, it can cause problems,” she explained.

While Dr. Banerji said they have not received any calls regarding this trend to their poison center, she expected they would get calls on this in the future, and reactions would largely depend on people’s tolerance to spice, among other factors.

“If somebody who doesn’t eat much spicy food suddenly takes a quarter teaspoon of this cayenne powder, it could be very unpleasant and uncomfortable,” she said. “They could have reactions of feeling like their mouth is on fire and feel like they are literally burning their mucous membranes, their throat, [and] their mouth.”

Reactions could be worse depending on underlying conditions, according to Dr. Banerji.

“Somebody who has asthma or some breathing sensitivities might have a coughing reaction and that could exacerbate any underlying lung condition,” she elaborated.

The reactions, according to Dr. Banerji, can last up to an hour. “It’s that burning sensation; it’s not truly burning, it’s not an acid… but they feel like it’s burning a hole in their throat.”

This most recent trend on TikTok follows another that also made its rounds on social media, and according to Dr. Banerji, both caused similar concerns.

“It is along the same lines of the Cinnamon Challenge, where you inhale or ingest a cloud of powder that can cause respiratory symptoms, and in this case, more mucous membrane irritation because of that burning sensation,” she said.

While there are other claims on the internet about cayenne pepper and the potential health benefits from it, Dr. Banerji said that what social media users are claiming it can help with is not supported.

“There are a lot of claims with cayenne pepper, and a lot of them are probably well-founded, meaning some people do benefit; maybe their arthritis is better, their heartburn is better, joint pains, it’s been thought to be a metabolism booster, and so there are some legitimate claims that could be substantiated,” she said. “But, the part about using it as a natural supplement for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, that is one that doesn’t have any backing as of yet.”

Either way, Dr. Banerji said, it’s not something people should be taking teaspoons full of and had this message: “It’s not just a game, it’s something that’s affecting your health and your body,” she said. “If it doesn’t sound good and it doesn’t sound normal, then it’s probably not a good idea.”

As for parents who are concerned or think their child may have ingested this, Dr. Banerji said to ask a few questions first. “The first thing is assessing, ‘Is their airway open?’, ‘Are they breathing, okay?’, ‘Are they having severe distress?’, and if they are having severe distress I would say call 911.”

She added that if it was a minor reaction, “Where the person is saying, ‘My throat is burning,’ ‘My mouth is hurting,’ ‘My throat is on fire,’ absolutely call the poison control center; we are here 24/7.” Dr. Banerji also advised that concerned parents keep an eye on what their kids have in their possession, like full bottles of spice in their rooms or backpacks.

“With these challenges, there is always another one around the corner, so it’s hard to predict what is going to come out next but I think finding things that don’t really belong, would be the biggest indicator that you should have a discussion,” she said.

For more information or questions regarding this trend, people should reach out to Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety, which is linked above. For a poison emergency call the Poison Control hotline at 1-(800) 222-1222 .

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