Capsicum

Maybe ancient Aztecs found it good to rub on warts;

Maybe it was used to bombard enemies in forts.

Surely as a torture it is ranked without a peer;

Making those with ulcers soil their pants in deepest fear.

It comes in lovely colors, bright and shiny like a toy,

But swallow several dozen – you're not hollerin' with joy!

Some insist it adds the very pinnacle of zest –

A nuclear reactor is more easy to ingest.

Capsicum, or chilies, or how'er you choose to scrawl it,

May be food to you but I am hoping they'll recall it!