Tasting Resiniferatoxin (RTX): The Spiciest Substance in the World | Full Extraction from Euphorbia

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Alright, could we all just take a moment to appreciate how much of that habanero I managed to eat? Also, quick note: I know the stuff I tasted wasn't pure and that the vanillin stain test wasn't highly conclusive. The plant I used was dying and kind of on the weak end (the latex didn't really irritate my skin, but it did taste spicy), so there wasn't a lot of RTX to begin with. Plenty of the resiniferatoxin was probably also lost to thermal decomposition and oxidation. But make no mistake: I did taste the resiniferatoxin in my sample. It was quite hot, despite my somewhat calm reaction, and there are no other compounds in resin spurge that create the burning sensation that I felt (irritation, yes, but not burning). Hope that clears up some of the controversy!

[@Painandmisery6860]

Is it cuss if u eat enough it kills u???

[@SetOfAllSets]

if no one's ever tasted it how does it have a scoville rating?

[@LabCoatz_Science]

@@SetOfAllSets People have tasted it (it is found in euphorbium, which is an old medicine), I'm just the first person to show/taste it on video. I'm not sure if they used taste to determine the Scoville rating for RTX though...they might have just applied it to mice (or humans) and monitored how little it took to get a TRPV1 reaction.

[@tomvolf]

@@LabCoatz_Science Ach, yes, of course, we do have Euphorbium officinarum as homeopathic remedy. So it is event current medicine, but in homeopathy potency. And I had to laugh ... you chemists are weird people. Yo (NileRed) says "is smells bad, but it is OK" and people around him are vomiting and fainting. And you can with nice smile eat the whole habanero (it would kill me instantly) and explain "it is hot, but just for short time period...". Anyway, thank you for explaining, how the Scoville rating is created, it was mystery for me.

[@1337fraggzb00N]

Next episode: blood of a Xenomorph.

[@The_OG_Soop]

This is probably not going to get read but I got some of this in my eye! I have a 30 foot euphorbia cactus in my front yard and I was cutting a piece up for my friend when some of the juice squirted in my eye! I was blind for a month while I was having dead epithelial tissue scraped off twice a week! Hurt like crazy this stuff is not to be messed with. I don’t remember if any got in my mouth but my eye definitely felt how spicy it is!

[@RoosterMontgomery]

I thought these cacti only occur in Africa.

[@imperialleather5448]

That must have been pure agony😢

[@la24dogg21]

WHOAOHHHH

[@pbjandahighfive]

@@RoosterMontgomery They are native to Northern Africa, yeah, but that doesn't mean they can't be grown elsewhere.

[@elicarlson7682]

Wow

[@HakureiMikko]

Roughly twenty years ago, a few mates and I discovered the effects of euphorbias. By some weird coincidence, the huge spurge in the window sprung a slight leak and "someone", who may or may not have been myself, decided to taste the latex. I wouldn't call it spicy or pungent but definitely numbing, as in having a totally desensitized spot on my tongue for two hours. Now, seeing as large amounts of alcohol was involved, this quickly became a component in a punishment game to everyone's delight, and severely slurred speech. No lasting effects, but in retrospect quite stupid.

[@jasonrobbins4227]

It is stories like these that spawned the phrase "live without regret" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@outerrealm]

Ask any good chemist - alcohol = liquid stupidity. Same effect can be had by repeatedly hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.

[@outerrealm]

@@jasonrobbins4227 translation: live stupidly, repeating all your mistakes as well as making new ones.

[@curve5746]

Lol all men who make it to 30 are lucky

[@2degucitas]

Seeing how people have latex allergies using it as a numbing agent probably would be a bad idea

[@dw4223]

Nile Red is literally one of my favorite channels and I'm always on the look out for more great content in the same vein. You've got a new follower in me, so keep up the good work!

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I appreciate that! I should have a new video coming out in a few days covering an easy OTC route to acetic anhydride, if that sounds interesting to you!

[@megamaser]

@@LabCoatz_Science Yes that will be a very interesting video for those looking to synthesize heroin I mean aspirin in their basement.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@LabCoatz_Science I think you should do a peyote extraction after that. : )

[@chypearce8457]

Same. I literally subscribed as soon as he name-dropped

[@RaptureDragon1]

Check out "I did a thing" on KZbin if you haven't seen him before =D you might enjoy too.

[@juggernautonfire]

Great video! Also a quick side note / potential further explanation as to why the isolated RTX fell short of the spiciness of the habanero: The capsaicin in chilis is dissolved in the oleoresin which acts as a carrier to distribute it to the taste receptors. NileRed Shorts featured a video of him trying pure capsaicin and the results were quite similar to your test of RTX. Dissolving the capsaicin in the solubilizer ethanol immediately unleashed its full potency. Maybe that's what was going on here as well

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Thanks! For the test, a small amount of ethanol was added (I think I actually mentioned that in one of the video text pop-ups).

[@2degucitas]

That might explain why sprinkling gochugaru on my baked spud did nothing. Probably needed to be added to hot oil.

[@ElementalMaker]

Holy smokes man you are brave! I remember going down a rabbit hole researching rtx, and was pretty terrified from my reading. You just smeared that toothpick around your tongue like a madman! Truly impressive isolation and testing. Glad it didn't melt your tongue away. Subbed!

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Thanks man, glad you liked the video! I honestly kinda wish is was a bit more intense, but I think it turned out well in the end. Next up for me, synthesizing thioacetone: the most putrid substance on Earth. We'll see if that triggers a more dramatic reaction from me, lol!

[@ElementalMaker]

@@LabCoatz_Science Looking forward to it!

[@au8363]

Jesus Is King.!!!

[@lowkeylysemith2568]

@@au8363 King of the fictional characters?

[@au8363]

@@lowkeylysemith2568 Jesus Is Very Real Deuteronomy 4:29 King James Bible But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

[@antozon5070]

Please keep in mind that the phorbol esters (to which RTX is related) are well known tumor promoters! Also, I strongly suspect that the vanillin stain is meant for TLC analysis. Given that your extract still contained other compounds it really is no surprise that vanillin/sulfuric acid turns black. But I do appreciate that you distinguished higher scoville rating and spicyness, something too many people gloss over. Also, kudos on the high production quality and cinematography, well done!

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Thanks, those are all excellent points! The stain test was meant for TLC, but I figured it would react the same in the vial as it would on a TLC plate, since both are just inert silica-based surfaces. I knew that the stain turning black wasn't a definite sign, but I figured I would still include it as a cool visual with at least some merit. Regarding the phorbol esters, I knew they would be present during the tasting, but I (questionably) rationalized doing the test anyways. In my caveman brain, the cancer risk from tasting a single drop of it was probably less than the risk from smoking a pack of cigarettes (something some people do daily). Not the best decision, but I'm hopeful that things will turn out alright in the end.

[@antozon5070]

@@LabCoatz_Science Oh, it'll react the same in the vial to the stain, of course. But you can't really say if it's because of RTX or because another compound or because of general tar formation. Vanillin/sulfuric acid is a fairly general stain for organics and if you get a mixture of all colors that will also be black. On a TLC plate you have the compounds already (mostly) separated from each other. Regarding consumption, it's going to be fine, just don't actually make a hot sauce out it lol

[@user255]

@@LabCoatz_Science Yes, they are not that carcinogenic. Many plants have them and the typical response is just rash. Chronic exposure is another deal.

[@au8363]

Jesus Is King.!!!

[@marshallbowdrie8562]

@@au8363no he isn’t

[@TheToemeister]

I’d try dissolving the extract in vegetable or canola oil instead of ethanol for the taste test. I’ve read that capsaicin in oil tastes spicier than pure capsaicin due to the better solubility, allowing it to distribute across the tongue more easily. A lot of the ethanol probably evaporated off the toothpick while you were holding it too.

[@unslept_em]

scientists have a long and storied history of going "this seems interesting. maybe i will taste it" and this is certainly one of those moments lol

[@k-aw-teksleepysageuni8181]

I recently went down the "what';s the spiciest thing?" rabbit hole and found out about RTX. It is an amazing chemical that could possibly help people who suffer from chronic pain like myself. The fact it takes longer to act on pain receptors could make it a good candidate to study ways to make medications that target muscle and tissue flare ups. I get terrible neck, back, and rib/sternum pain so something like that would be a new lease on living.

[@AldoSchmedack]

As someone on morphine for pain and disabled for years I would be very interested. Has to be a better med for pain.

[@k-aw-teksleepysageuni8181]

@@AldoSchmedack It's terrible. I had to quit all opiates years back and rely on cannabis derived medicine. Often oil concentrate orally and vapourized for quick relief. CBD, THC, and the terpenes in cannabis are decent for pain, but they just keep me alive and without much complaint. The only problem is it's not completely numbing like opiates are. It's not like I can go out and lift things for more than 30 minutes without hitting 7s to 10s on the pain scale.

[@jetsh1ftman746]

....... Trade pain for pain🤔. Sounds self destructive

[@k-aw-teksleepysageuni8181]

@@jetsh1ftman746 You don't understand pharmaceuticals, clearly. This substance could be used to treat nerve receptors and "numb" them out of over-firing. They've started studying it recently, and it's clearly got potential.

[@jetsh1ftman746]

@@k-aw-teksleepysageuni8181 you don't understand sarcasm clearly. This substance could be used to treat Karen syndrome and make you a better person in general.

[@pyrojack8230]

Man was so disappointed with spicy foods he went out of his way to make Raytraced Spice. Absolute legend.

[@Finnnicus]

I’ve never seen someone do a diy column on chemistry KZbin. Congrats! Yours was thoroughly insane using ground up kitty litter, so I’m glad it was the first I’ve seen.

[@Nefville]

OMG I have this cactus. I've had it for 20 years and I grow Carolina Reapers, the new variety. Have my first Scotch Bonnets overwintering... Okay yeah this is way out of my ability to make. Still its really cool that of all the plants I've had, this one I've had the longest, since I was a kid and all this time I had the spiciest substance on Earth while at the same time I became a huge spicy pepper fan and cultivator. Great video, unexpected results. It makes sense though.

[@intensecutn]

Fun fact: Euphorbia are not a cactus. They are a succulent.

[@Nefville]

@@intensecutn I think I am wrong, after the video I was looking at other pictures of Euphorbia and they look like they bloom which mine has never done. Also its a fairly obscure plant from Morocco and I'm not sure that's something I would have gotten by accident 27ish years ago. It looks damn close though. I'm not a chemist so I'll have to stick with my Reapers and Scotch Bonnets for now but I did find a reasonable source for resiniferatoxin online.

[@Cineenvenordquist]

@@Nefville Good luck getting that cactus or other succulent to bloom and surviving a resin tap from it if you're drawn to make forbidden negrito from it.

[@thisismyusername6717]

You can just lick the catcus when you cut a piece lol

[@jonnylawless6797]

Man I want some of them scotch bonnets for jerk

[@MrApokalipse666]

If you want to use cat-litter-silicagel for chromatography I would recomend to dissolve it in aqueous NaOH and precipitate/ wash it with HCl for a few times bevore using it, so you will get much more surface area and a better separation.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I would have, but I wasn't in the mood to waste use up all my lye and HCl. If I was to do it again, I would do it with a proper gradient elution (pure petroleum ether to pure methanol). After, of course, I washed the silica with methanol to get rid of that (albeit inert) blue dye. I tried using acetone, water, and even gasoline to get rid of it, but to no avail. Only once I started the methanol elution did I discover what it is soluble in, lol.

[@valiantwarrior4517]

Very interesting about the comparison to capsaicin and how the Scoville scale works. I’ve noticed that the Scoville measurements of different substances doesn’t equate directly to how they affect those who ingest them.

[@neayt9952]

This is a really spicy video

[@jkfury.x1254]

11:42 you could see the fear in his eyes

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Pfff, nah! That was honestly more sleep deprivation than anything, lol. Living with five other people (and pets) means I have to stay up pretty late to get shots like this done without background noise.

[@acb9896]

It's the seeds. The pain is in the seeds.

[@Sparkette]

This video sponsored by NVIDIA

[@Ori-lp2fm]

Underaged comment

[@Ori-lp2fm]

Underated

[@AlexandreG]

That's deep bro

[@Sleepyken900]

Honestly! These videos are legendary... you deserve millions of subs!

[@modolief]

Dude, you are the coolest ... I want to be a bad ass lab tech like _this_ when I grow up!

[@NeoMarv]

Nice video. But as a chemist I see many problems with that isolation. Resiniferatoxin contains many labile functional groups. You have an alpha beta unsaturated ketone, an ester and three epoxides which are connected by a single carbon and one of the epoxides is even an allylic epoxide which easily opens up when even seeing a nucleophile. Heating that molecule in water/MeOH with all the other compounds in the crude mixture most probably leads to decomposition. I am interested what the pH was in the heated mixture... If it's even slightly acidic or basic it's even worse. So you might not have tasted the actual resiniferatoxin but a derivative of it. Also when you say that the product was confirmed by a colour reagent, then that's just an assumption. Using the Rf value of a TLC on top of it would have been better but still no complete verification. I don't try to be negative but simply put I love organic chemistry and I do try to add information whenever ppssible.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I totally agree with your assessment. The pH was fairly neutral, iirc, but I do think the prolonged heating probably caused a lot of unwanted decomposition. I do believe there was enough RTX to taste though, since I did try applying the raw latex to my tongue and I got the same effect (albeit somewhat weaker). That kinda leads me to another point: the plant was dying when I did the synthesis, and it didn't seem to have as much RTX as it theoretically should have. I've heard stories about these plants giving debilitating burns and discomfort just by chopping them up, and this one produced no such effect.

[@NeoMarv]

@@LabCoatz_Science I agree with you and the potential derivatives might also have a similar effect though. It would actually be nice to find out which compounds were in your final product but that would be quite costly and time consuming. I think this was a nice project. I did not know about Resiniferatoxin before and that's what's so good about such videos, you learn new things in an entertaining way!

[@dddd6606]

"RTX given intraocularly has an unexpectedly poor potency to provoke pain response" is one of more chilling sentences I've seen in scientific paper.

[@stupidburp]

Probably done for pepper spray product research

[@THYZOID]

Great video! I tasted the white stuff of the same cactus once but it wasn´t really spicy. Unfortunately it died so no large scale extraction on my part. You didn a great job anyways so I don´t have to extract it anymore. Hope the phenylacetylrinvanil tastes spicier because of higher solubility. I´ll add the part were you tasted this stuff to my phenylacetylrinvanil video if you are cool with it.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Glad you liked the video! Good luck with your phenylacetylrinvanil project, and yes, you can definitely use parts from my video in it if you want.

[@THYZOID]

@@LabCoatz_Science thanks man!

[@coopergates9680]

@@THYZOID Is phenylacetylrinvanil also toxic, despite not having 'toxin', or could one safely make a salsa or sauce that has it?

[@THYZOID]

@@coopergates9680 Given the lack of information on it just assume it is very toxic

[@septixskeptix1107]

I tend to not eat compounds that end in the word "toxin." I guess I just have some kind of weird hang up with that word. 🤷

[@djdrack4681]

Hmm. So you saw my comment on a previous video about trying this? Super excited to see the attempt before trying it myself. I find it to be one of those molecules I'm always surprised nobody talks about despite how utterly intense RTX is:

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I might've seen your suggestion, but I don't recall, lol. You might actually be more surprised at how NOT intense RTX is! You'll see it in the video, but RTX is possibly less "spicy" than capsaicin, despite being higher on the Scoville scale. The large molecular size stops it from penetrating nerve receptors very fast, and it's so overpowered that it tends to desensitize rather than excite like capsaicin. It's still spicy though, but in a very unique way...you'll just have to see once the video airs! Side-note though, I'm unsure of the purity of my sample, so I can't say that my reaction truly captures what pure resiniferatoxin is capable of. Based on my research, it should be less than 10% RTX by weight, since I failed to fully separate the other diterpene esters with chromatography. Still, there was enough to taste, which attests to it's high position on the Scoville scale!

[@djdrack4681]

@@LabCoatz_Science Brutal. I was hoping for it to be used as the deterrent in 37mm smokes used to deter the various trespassing bigfoot on the property. :_(

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

I love videos like this that ask a simple question and then go into detail why it has a complex answer. You make great educational videos which I'm sure will inspire many a future chemist and/or scientist.

[@ste887]

quick tip, if you need vanillin powder later on, most stores that sell DIY vape flavours offer pure vanillin powder at a couple dollars gram for pharmaceutical purity, least, they do in the uk. with the vape laws in America things might be different

[@theantiorthodoxclothingcom4152]

Great video! I was wondering if anyone was insane enough to eat this

[@user-po7iv4ni3o]

12:20 - "So one of the first things you notice whenever you're tasting resiniferatoxin... " I agree, I noticed that during my last session 🤣

[@SaltNBattery]

I had a panic attack from trying Carolina Reaper... I couldn't talk myself out of it, thought I was having an anaphylactic reaction or something. Pretty embarrassing but I have Panic Disorder, so it doesn't take much.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Me too, to a lesser degree, although I'm getting better with it now!

[@jerseylife8701]

I could definitely see a reaper causing a panic attack lol.

[@EloNaj]

@@jerseylife8701 Yes I grew reaper but I would never try to eat them raw. Never ever XD.

[@jonadams8841]

30 years ago, when I bought a house in the San Gabriel foothills north of LA, I was told that the incredible assortment of euphorbia cacti all around the house and property had been collected as cuttings, by the previous owners in their global adventures. There were dozens of types, from low shrubs to tall tree-ish things. And thorns and spines. Some had metal tags that gave the formal name. Again, I was told that the white sap/resin/latex that would ooze forth when the plant was damaged would burn the skin, and if inhaled, or exposed to the eye, would necessitate medical treatment. The Internet was not quite a thing, but the LA County Arboretum was just down the road. There, they had many of the same plants, but I could find no one who could really tell me much about the plants, except for the pain aspect. In the decade I had that house, I never experimented with the sap. Now I wish I did 😂

[@MyDixieWrecked247]

1:25 The guy who made the Carolina Reaper bred an even hotter pepper called Pepper X. Nearly 3.2 million SHU, almost twice as hot as a Reaper.

[@sillymizu]

WHY IS THIS SO UNDERRATED

[@NootalieWalf]

What’re the odds I hear about this stuff randomly 5 minutes ago and there’s a long video about it posted 3 days ago… neat

[@LabCoatz_Science]

The world works in weird ways sometimes! Glad you found the video, hopefully I was able to answer any of the questions you might have had.

[@tylernethery409]

First video i've seen from you.. late to the party but im glad to see Nile have some competition. I love this type of science and im glad to see others providing content as quality as this! wish you the best and ill be wathing your other videos!

[@davidmcdonald7775]

Great video - thanks very much for your contribution to science. I can't believe it took me this long to discover you, but that's me now subscribed. I look forward to flicking through more of your vids! :)

[@ClaptimusPrime]

When the police come to your house with pepper spray, you fight back with this stuff

[@romanmir01]

something has 'toxin' in its very name and you still put it into your mouth, I applaud the effort)

[@Piocoto123]

Pretty cool. I am really into cacti and euphorbias and have tried a coiuple of their latex directly. Tried Euphorbia aeuruginosa.. mehh, tried euphorbia parciramulosa.. holy hell, the heat was there for about an hour and was as bad as a very hot sauce. I have an E. resinifera but after trying the other one I dont think I need to try that one ever

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Honestly, I tasted the latex directly, and it wasn't bad. I'm beginning to think my euphorbia was on the more mild side, since it didn't even irritate my skin or make my eyes water (although it was spicy). Not sure what is in the euphorbia parciramulosa latex though, but if it lasted for about an hour, it might've been resiniferatoxin, tinyatoxin, or a similar "super-capsaicinoid".

[@narkedandafraid]

Glad to see your channel growing! You’ve got talent.

[@alphonsereitz]

I'm probably background noise.. I love these chemistry, I think I'll like yours as much as Niles. I'm sure it wouldn't be popular, but if you use stoichiometry, i think some sould be shown. Either way.. really cool video

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Nobody is background noise in my comments section! I do try to include the stochiometric chemical balances whenever possible, although the main focus is typically getting to the end product, haha! Glad you liked the video, I should have another coming out in a day or so!

[@rileyd215]

When you read carbon tetrachloride in the paper I legit thought you were crazy enough I'm glad you didn't

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Nah, didn't have any at the time. I will be trying to make some from chloroform here soon though...

[@rileyd215]

@@LabCoatz_Science awesome have you thought about going for the fire extinguishers "extraction". a few other youtubers have had success with great purity

[@JDogggg69]

You should try the latex as is. It would be interesting if the stickiness enhances the spiciness, or if the concentration is too low.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I did it wasn't much different (although it was a fair bit weaker).

[@berylman]

Great chem video! I kind of wish you had done more rigorous purification and confirmed the molecular identity by other means

[@idontwantahandlethough]

Bro that little intro was hilarious! Kinda reminded me of something you'd see back on Spike TV (FOR MEN!!! 💪😤cringiest branding of all time lol) Your show would have been called _Dude Science!_ or something.

[@imetzl9340]

Eating the Habanero first also loaded up your capsaicin receptors, making the next intake of capsaicin much less noticeable. Could also be a contributor

[@randomdudeface]

Yo this was really interesting! Also I *LOVE* spicy stuff, so... 🤔 I should make a hot sauce out of this stuff sometime...😁

[@seanmills7255]

Earned a sub from me. I love science and love how much information you gave during the experiment

[@imstupid880]

Gotta love how budget chemistry is basically just modern day alchemy.

[@BLKBRDD]

Gives RTX on a new meaning

[@timschulz9563]

I can't believe NVIDIA puts that into its GPUs!

[@technodrone313]

you build up a tolerance to spice. after growing a ghost pepper plant and making sauce i barely flinch on habaneros anymore. ghost peppers are so good :)

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Can agree, I grew ghosts and reapers this last year and made a sauce from them, and I love it on everything, haha!

[@LVNCHBOXXX]

U shoulda ate the whole reaper you wouldn't have been lookin for nothing hotter than a reaper prolly cuz Simon Zeus had always loved sunny Bangkok with its unlawful, uneven umbrellas. It was a place where he felt stable. He was a courageous, vile, port drinker with beautiful eyelashes and handsome feet. His friends saw him as a slimy, spicy saint. Once, he had even helped a cooperative baby recover from a flying accident. That's the sort of man he was

[@Ucceah]

i have an Euphorbia resinifera for well over 10 years, untill i learned about it's properties, and when it got nicked by another succulent, when i moved it, i couldnt help tasting a tiny drop of the latex it leaked. slightly bitter, and a tolerable but rough and unpleasant burn built slowly, but lasted for hours. and once it faded, that spot felt kinda numb for a day or two. if you wanna eat spicy, just use chillies! PS: dram .. you just said "dram" twice! you played "that" game too.

[@d1fferen7]

Carolina Reaper makes me sweat bullets. Lmfao. Extremely spicy, but I love it.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I know man, I took the seeds from that pepper I showed me (kinda) eating in this video, and I grew it into a whole plant this year. Now I have like a hundred peppers that I have no idea what to do with! Love the flavor though, I might try Trinidad Perfume next year for a similar taste but much less heat, haha!

[@spynae]

God I love video lab reports, you've got yourself a new subscriber

[@ambhaiji]

this video was in your recommended because you watch gaming/Nvidia related content and some science content

[@blbmnm5939]

u're not normal :D, stumbled upon ur channel via the thioacetone video done by that nilered guy or smth, but u are just next level

[@Kataxu]

To those seeing this video for the first time, there IS a hotter pepper than the Carolina Reaper, called Primotalii!

[@Cineenvenordquist]

So what does one make with primotalii peppers and who sells the seeds? Enchiladas for the 4 day medical fast?

[@MorningOnMars]

@@Cineenvenordquist bad memories

[@allenhonaker4107]

Very Rod Sterling ish intro. I love it♥️

[@stickinthemud23]

I want to know how a teeny drop of capsaicin oil and disburse among a quart of spaghetti sauce in order to "hotten up" the whole batch.

[@JulioAvalos3000]

You are a brave man bitting into that pepper like that.

[@ADHDWOOHOO]

Man the pure DIY energy here is awesome. I've had pure capsaicin before and the sensation was kind of similar to yours. I then drank a beer and my life was instantly ruined. I wonder if you dissolved the RTX in ethanol it would hit harder.

[@Johnpao215]

In Philippines, an euphorbia named Karimbuaya in my language... Used as a spice for grilled dishes. It has unique, spicy and herbal taste. Yet toxic raw. :)

[@sealpiercing8476]

If you get your hands on the pure compound, please please please start with some dilutions or other known small quantities. Give yourself a chance to spot problems before they become big problems... Love your work.

[@footballvideos6882]

I love the way the intro contains the chemical structures of dibutylone, a stimulant from the cathinone class of drugs. Methylphenidate better known as ritalin and THC one of the psychoactive compounds in cannabis XD

[@jasonford8962]

There is now, it's called the Primotalli, there are variations to the color of which the chocolate primos are the spiciest pepper. Well, that and Pepper X, which are ranked about the same.

[@Kuli24000]

Ah, just as I would have done... with the uh... di-aquius phase thing...

[@Ian-ul1kf]

I didnt understand a single word in this video but I am all for it!

[@SaltNBattery]

Really cool video. Your channel deserves more subscribers.

[@pbjandahighfive]

There are technically a few peppers that rank hotter than Carolina Reapers, they just aren't commerically available and for the moment can only be obtained though private growers focused on selective crossbreeding aimed specifically at increasing "heat". In particular, as of the time of this comment there are three well-known and named peppers with (small) established breeding colonies that are known to have higher scoville ratings than the Carolina Reaper. There is the "Dragon's Breath" chili which comes in around ~2,484,000 SHU, the "Apollo" pepper which has tested at ~3,000,000 SHU and "Pepper X" which has tested at about ~3,180,000 SHU ("Apollo" and "Pepper X" were both made by the same guy who was the first to breed the Carolina Reaper).

[@h.Freeman]

We had one of those cactus' and my dad got some of the sap in his eye and he screamed like a mad man...at least i think it was that cactus...could have been Peruvian torch tho🤷🏿‍♂️ but it probably was that one...he didnt hallucinate

[@maxmusterman3371]

"given intraocularly ..." That poor thing

[@JFinnerud]

Challenge NileRed and TY to come up with the purest sample. The first to end up at ER wins

[@Howtoeatrocks]

I just had a flashback of cutting up cacti in my grandmothers back yard for a “potion” and the resin getting in my eye. I had hoped to never remember

[@BigDaddyDelliott]

“I thought it might be fun to make a spicy video of my own 😏”

[@rodrigoalvarosantosd6892]

Dissolving it in ethanol before tasting it makes it spicier

[@LabCoatz_Science]

True! In fact, that's exactly what I did for my taste test (I think I mentioned adding the ethanol in a text box somewhere)! Wish I could say it made a huge difference, but it really didn't in this case.

[@jacobcohen3280]

@@LabCoatz_Science I think it's only true in the case of capsaicin, because capsaicin dosent dissolve in the water (saliva on tongue). Not sure about any other chemicals, so not saying I'm right but yeag

[@simonmaverick9201]

Why didn't you blend the plant material with the extraction solvent then dry it.

[@dark2023-1lovesoni]

Very interesting. Though 'pharmacokinetic' is generally pronounced as "farm-a-ko-ken-eh-tick", similar to pharmacy or pharmacology.

[@dopeymark]

Full commitment recognized.

[@strangehappenings8961]

This guy gives some real David Hahn vibes. Haha cool video man. 📹

[@1marcelfilms]

Oh god i tasted this cactus thinking it was a magic cactus and it was the most bitter liquid i have ever tasted

[@bonolio]

So Scoville Heat Units refer to how much you need to dilute the substance in sugar water before you can now longer taste the heat. At 16 billion Scovilles, that is 6 standard olympic size swimming pools of sugar water to dilute. Damn. Side Note: Ending was anticlimactic, but the journey was fascinating.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Yeah, I really want it to melt my face too honestly!

[@therealzilch]

Wonderful. But the botanist in me wishes you had made it clear that spurge is not a cactus. Spurges are in the family Euphorbiaciae, which is only related to Cactaciae in that both are flowering plants. Their thorns and succulent habit are independently evolved. Great work. Cheers from cool Vienna, Scott

[@0BRAINS0]

Good things are going to fruit from this man in the future, he will develop a new category of cancer drugs because of his interest in south American plant life that started in the desert.

[@Justin.Franks]

15:38 _"RTX given intraocularly"_ Oh hell no.

[@ssarkees]

Jesus, Walt! “Don’t try this at home?”, I would have no idea where to start! You lost me at Gasoline. 😂 you are crazy smart.

[@markorkarenhanes1354]

@12:26 "It has kind of a incubation period", also known as "creeper".

[@lung0fish1]

I have twice tasted latex from different euphorbia plants. It was an awful experience each time. It was intolerably hot and took forever to go away. I have always been very sensitive to spicy foods.

[@CaptainCanuck74]

"...given intraocularly..." In the eyeball? Please explain! Also, why not taste a 1:1000 dilution of RTX to test your theory that it's still detectable?

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I honestly have no idea what they did, but I feel bad for whatever creature got this in its eye! And come to think of it, I probably should have tried a dilution to see how strong this stuff really is, but my sample wasn't a very potent one, so it probably would have been underwhelming.

[@CaptainCanuck74]

@LabCoatz_Science I imagine that your final conclusions may have been different if you'd jammed it into your eyeballs! Thanks for the video, great job

[@cameronbartlett856]

Sounds more like a reaction to the toxins rather than simply being spicy.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Technically, all spiciness is the result of our bodies reacting to toxins (as long as it is a TRPV1 receptor reacting). It may not have been excessively potent in my case, but it definitely felt spicy!

[@bud8254]

Awesome video! You earned yourself a new sub my friend.

[@deletochocolate5188]

5:35 proud to be an indian❤️‍🔥

[@SP-ny1fk]

You should extract whatever comes out of a San Pedro Cactus, then taste that.

[@hunterbawlz]

Nicely done Mr. White

[@rex-up9ln]

Damn! This is exactly what I was looking for

[@FilipMikulic-u7d]

The number of times he said methanol

[@ZA-mb5di]

The initial for resiniferatoxin is funny

[@damianayre2130]

If you get the real RTX and swish it around your mouth and gargle with it would it desensitize the receptors and make you immune to capsaicin for awhile ?

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Yes! I tried it myself (although it was after the video was posted), and I was unable to feel the heat of a +400,000 Scoville habanero pepper where the RTX was applied!