system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
If I eat a mint and it "burns" my tongue, Is it really killing of cells?

Or are the chemicals in it just telling my brain that this hurts? Are there mints that can physically hurt cells?
gpt
The sensation of "burning" or "cold" on your tongue are conveyed by sensory neurons. Foods contain molecules which can bind to receptors on this neurons making them signal to the brain the corresponding sensation. These molecules trick the brain into believing that there is something hot or cold. In the case of the mint, menthol binds to cold-sensing receptors making them hypersensitive and our brain interprets that as cold.