Does saliva disinfect?

An adult secretes a large amount of saliva every day. According to relevant data, about one thousand to one thousand and five milliliters of saliva are secreted, which is a large amount. Saliva has many functions. It contains many enzymes and nearly ten kinds of vitamins, so it can help digestion. But does saliva disinfect? Saliva contains substances such as lysozyme and immunoglobulin, so it can achieve antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.

Saliva, also known as spit, is a seemingly ordinary oral secretion, but ancient health experts attached great importance to it and called it "golden fluid". Traditional Chinese medicine believes that: "The five internal organs produce five liquids: the heart produces sweat, the lungs produce mucus, the liver produces tears, the spleen produces saliva, and the kidneys produce saliva. These are the five liquids." It is worth noting that traditional Chinese medicine regards the spleen as the foundation of the acquired constitution and the kidneys as the foundation of the innate constitution. Since saliva is produced by the spleen and kidneys, it is naturally closely related to life activities.

It has been scientifically proven that saliva contains various components of plasma, such as more than 10 enzymes such as mucin and globulin, nearly 10 kinds of vitamins, multiple minerals, organic acids and hormones, etc. The component called "salivary gland hormone" can also promote cell survival and division, delaying the decline of human body functions.

In addition to moistening the mouth, cleaning the mouth, dissolving food and aiding digestion, another important function of saliva is antibacterial. Lysozyme, immunoglobulin A, thiocyanate, lactoferrin, etc. in saliva have bactericidal or antibacterial effects.

In daily life, we have found that small rashes and sores on the body, especially on the face, can be quickly eliminated by simply applying saliva; the throat is often inflamed, making it difficult to speak, but it can be cured by swallowing saliva; and there is also personal experience of curing hairline sores by chewing black beans. These all make full use of the antibacterial and disinfecting effects of saliva. In fact, everyone has experienced sore throat or insect bites in life. Swallowing saliva slowly or applying saliva topically are often effective methods.