World of the Bizarre

Ghost pepper chips send 14 Japanese students to the hospital

By T.K. Randall
July 18, 2024

Image: Ghost Chili Peppers
Credit: Vikramjit Kakati / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Spicy food is everywhere these days and in some parts of the world there are even contests held to see who can consume the most amount of super hot peppers in the fastest amount of time.

Perhaps the most infamous pepper of all is the ghost pepper which is so incredibly hot that it even comes with a health warning.

Unfortunately for a group of students from Rokugo Koka High School in Tokyo's Ota Ward recently, nobody had taken these warnings particularly seriously.

As soon as the students tucked into a bag of ghost pepper infused chips, they started to experience a range of symptoms ranging from nausea to severe stomach and mouth pain.Fourteen of them had to go to the school's medical room with some of them actually collapsing and rolling about on the floor due to the extreme pain of eating the spicy snack.

They ultimately ended up in hospital but were fortunately able to return home the same day.

The chips themselves, which are described as "18+ curry chips", come with a warning imploring people with high blood pressure or a weak stomach not to eat them.

It also warns that eating too many can cause a range of health problems.

Suffice to say, they are definitely more of a novelty food item than a dietary staple.

Source: Oddity Central

Tags: Pepper