Capsaicinoids, a non-nutritive chemical molecule that our brains interpret as heat or, in excess, even pain, are the source of the spiciness found in spicy foods. Importantly, our taste buds only detect sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami flavors. They do not detect capsaicinoids. Rather than only alerting our tongues, spice triggers nerve endings that are present almost everywhere on our bodies, to varying degrees. It is a component of the so-called common chemical sense.