Who would have thought that the spicy concoction we love so much for it's ability to spice up our food would have so many alternative uses? I'm sure Edmund McIlhenny is rolling over in his grave knowing some of the ways in which his Tabasco Sauce is being used today.
I'm not going to say that I have actually used these applications myself but I have confidence in the sources of information, in some cases straight form the horses mouth.
Let's dive in....
Hot Sauce as a Spermicide
Okay, this may or may not be a legit use but Drake, the rapper, is involved and it blew up the internet a few months back so it's worth a look. Unfortunately the Too Much Hot Tea Blog instagram page has been taken down so the original telling of this story is as long gone as Drakes erection but the story goes thusly... In January of 2022 a woman posted about the Fire and Desire rapper, that after having sex he had, unbeknownst to her, poured hot sauce into his soiled condom, a habit he had gotten into believing it to be an effective spermicide, so that no-one would be able to collect his sperm and later surprise him with a child. The woman was not amused and announced on Instagram that she was suing the rapper claiming physical burns due to the spicy concoction.
Drake weighed in by calmy "allowing" her to have her 15 minutes of fame.
The incident has basically "blown over" but it "raised" the question about hot sauce being
an effective spermicide... Answer: if you don't mind some Ho retrieving your spent prophylactic and then screwing you as hard as you did her... then forcing you to give her millions to pay for little Drake, by all means try it.
There is no real data specifically about this subject but there is data on the effect of acid on sperm. Hot sauce often has a lot of vinegar, citrus juice and maybe tomatoes, all of which are high in acidity. In fact, by law, hot sauce is labeled an acidified food. All acidified foods must have a ph of 4.6 or less so all hot sauce should be acidic. Sounds logical that it might work, indeed, there is a study that shows hydrochloric acid (HCl) with a ph of 4.0 does in fact immobilize and kill sperm but HCl is a "strong acid". All of the aforementioned ingredients are acetic acid, which is a "weak acid". Without studies on weak acids I would not take any chances.
Deer Repellent
I planted my first garden in our new house up in the mountains of north GA this year in an effort to grow peppers among other things. I had to replant two times because the deer got into them long before they grew any fruit. I was forced to put up some bird netting, hung it over like a pup tent and it worked great but I wish I knew this trick earlier. The deer are too smart to eat the peppers themselves but they will eat the greenery, destroying the plant. With that in mind you can make a pepper spray that can be applied to all your plants to keep the pesky critters at bay. You can find a recipe here and a google search will reveal many others you can try.
Reduce Pain
Remove Tarnish
According to Bob Villa, and who can you trust more than Bob Villa, there are a few food ingredients that can clean tarnish and corrosion off household items, pots, pans etc. The deal is basically to use acidic foods, vinegar, citrus juice and even ketchup. I am going to add hot sauce to his list because it is by definition an "acidified food". Hot sauce usually contains vinegar and salt and often contain citrus, pineapple and other fruits that are high in acid content. Get out the Scrub Daddy and a few squirts of your favorite condiment and you should be able to remove those tough baked on stains.
Insecticide
According to sfgate.com, The Washington Toxics Coalition concluded there were approximately 86,800 pesticide-related incidents reported to poison centers across the United States. Of these incidents, 279 led to a major medical issue and 17 lead to the individual’s death. The combination of hot sauce and other safe ingredients, including mild dish soap , is capable of warding off several insects, including garden mites, worms and caterpillars, without harming the plant or the human gardener. You can find an easy recipe to follow here
We all could use a few less toxins in our life. Even if hot sauce doesn't seem to be the answer why not look up some other all natural options.
In the end, it is all about the capsaicin. Not only can it reduce pain and repel vermin it makes for a damn fine addition to some of your favorite foods, If you are brave, go for some of the "super hots". If eating them straight up is too much get some hot sauce containing them, it is usually tempered to varying degrees. The up side is that it can give you a legit high, even if breifly. You may find that you like that energy bump so much that you become a certified member of the Pepper Head Nation.
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