The Scoville scale is a measure of the hotness of a chile pepper (hot pepper). These fruits of the Capsicum genus contain capsaicin, a chemical compound which stimulates heat-receptor nerve endings in the tongue, and the number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present.
Scoville Rating
| Pure capsaicin | 16,000,000 |
| Nordihydrocapsaicin | 9,100,000 |
| Homodihydrocapsaicin | 8,600,000 |
| Police grade pepper spray | 5,300,000 |
| Common pepper spray | 2,000,000 |
| Red Savina Habanero | 350,000 - 580,000 |
| Habanero Chile (infuse HS) | 100,000 - 350,000 |
| Scotch bonnet | 100,000 - 325,000 |
| Birds eye pepper | 100,000 - 225,000 |
| Jamaican hot pepper | 100,000 - 200,000 |
| Carolina cayenne pepper | 100,000 - 125,000 |
| Bahamian pepper | 95,000 - 110,000 |
| Tabiche pepper | 85,000 - 115,000 |
| Thai pepper | 50,000 - 100,000 |
| Chiltepin pepper | 50,000 - 100,000 |
| Piquin pepper | 40,000 - 58,000 |
| Super chile pepper | 40,000 - 50,000 |
| Santaka pepper | 40,000 - 50,000 |
| Cayenne pepper | 30,000 - 50,000 |
| Tabasco pepper | 30,000 - 50,000 |
| de Arbol pepper | 15,000 - 30,000 |
| Manzano pepper | 12,000 - 30,000 |
| Serrano pepper | 5,000 - 23,000 |
| Hot wax pepper | 5,000 - 10,000 |
| Chipotle | 5,000 - 10,000 |
Tips To Stop The Burn
If you find that you cannot handle the heat after eating a chile pepper, try eating a dairy product such as milk, yogurt, sour cream or ice cream. Dairy products contain a chemical called caisen that fights the effects of the chile peppers capsicum by stripping it from it receptor site on the skin. Sugar can also help reduce the burn from a chile pepper. Drinking water will not stop the burn of a pepper because the oils in the pepper are not water soluble.
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