system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does spicy food act as a laxative?
gpt
Hot spices are irritants, they indicate that there is a problem to the tissues they affect. In your mouth or even on your skin this can be sensed as pain, but inside your digestive tract this irritation is less consciously perceived. It is still there though, and your body may conclude that speeding up the process of digestion is a good idea to quickly expel the irritants.

Normally things are moved through the digestive system by peristalsis, an involuntary rhythmic series of muscle contractions that squeeze the mush through all your tubes. Increase the frequency of those contractions and everything speeds up! If overworked you can also start to feel painful cramping in your abdomen.