Pepper as we all know, can make our eyes wet due to the spicy quality.
In the search for a non-lethal method of crowd control scientists produced pepper spray.
Dating back as far as ancient China, we can find the fiery red chili pepper's bite used as a weapon. The Chinese put ground cayenne chili pepper in rice paper and flung it in the face of their opponents.

While pepper spray is derived from hot cayenne peppers, (the same used in cooking) a percentage of Capsaicin oil (extracted just below the stem of the hot pepper) is added causing the spray to adhere to the skin, and not easily be washed off, thus causing an immediate adverse affect, particularly on the skin and respiratory system.

Pepper spray was originally introduced in the U.S. in the 1980s by the Postal Service as a dog repellent. In modern times pepper spray is not just used by women world over for the purpose of self defense but, also for riot control, crowd control, and for providing defense against animals like dogs and bears.

In the US, there are two types of pepper sprays that can be used by civilians and they are CS (orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile) and CN (chloroacetophenone). There is a third type called the CR but it has not yet been recommended for civilian use.

The modern day civilian pepper sprays are safe as well as legal weapons for self-defense. Considered to be extremely effective, it has become quite handy for women the world over and they can use it to repel the actions of single or multiple attackers. It has worked wonders for civilians because when sprayed on the face of the attacker/s, it can cause intense pain for as long as 45 minutes including swelling and burning in the eyes.
Since pepper spray irritates the lining of the nose and throat, causing difficulty breathing, there have been reports of lightheadedness, confusion, disorientation and lack of muscle control. While this may be a side effect, it can be more directly attributed to lack of oxygen or the stress of being sprayed.

The heat of the pepper spray is determined by the very powerful alkaloid capsaicin (cap-say-a-sin). A single drop of tasteless and odorless capsaicin in 100,000 drops of water creates a noticeable heat. Believe it or not Capsaicin can be detected by humans at one part per ten million.

Some pepper sprays contain UV DYE which later help in the description of the assailant in order to make an arrest possible. Another aspect of pepper spray that makes it attractive is its affordability. At an initial cost of $10 to $25 per canister, and If you add a Pepper Spray Training manual you can have excellent protection for under $50.00.

Pepper spray is now endorsed and used by nearly every law enforcement agency and people who want to protect themselves throughout the U.S.A. and other countries around the world.

Thank you for your time.
Hope we've cleared up a few things about pepper spray so you can defend yourself more efficiently!