A chef has developed the world’s hottest chilli pepper – and it’s so fiery it could kill you. The record-breaking chilli – Dragon’s Breath – was developed to be used in medical treatment as an anaesthetic because the oils that come from it are so potent that they can numb the skin. Mike Smith, from St Asaph in North Wales, has been growing chillies and vegetables for the last seven years, the Daily Post reports. It measures more than 2.48m on the Scoville scale, and it could potentially cause a type of anaphylactic shock for someone who eats it, burning the airways and closing them up. The US military uses pepper spray which registers at around 2m on the Scoville scale. Smith, 53, said, “It’s not been tried orally. I’ve tried it on the tip of my tongue and it just burned and burned. I spat it out in about 10 seconds. The heat intensity just grows.” The Dragon’s Breath is so powerful that one drop of its capsicum oil would be detectable in 2.48m drops of water. Smith added that the chilli – created in partnership with Nottingham Trent University – has a medicinal use. He said, “This was developed because a lot of people are allergic to anaesthetic, and this can be applied to the skin because it is so strong it numbs it.” As well as being of use in treating people who are allergic to anaesthetics, it is thought the chilli’s oils could also be useful in developing countries, where access to anaesthetic is limited for financial reasons. The Dragon’s Breath chilli is so potent that it has to be kept in a specially sealed container. It will be on display at the Chelsea Flower Show between May 23 and 27.