Saliva

[clarisse]

Today I was told that the wives of vikings used to lick their wounds because they had no way to cauterize or disinfect them and salive helps the formation of scars. Is it true?

[JustStuit]

It seems like saliva would infect it since it has bacteria, etc.

[clarisse]

Yes that's what I thought but the person who told me said he would investigate further but that it was actually interesting because also, it is like a reflex to lick a wound, at least a small one and that it had something to do with an enzyme.

[tejaswini]

it has been proved that saliva actually has healing capacity.

[rhiannon]

its like an animal reflex, your natural instinct is to like a wound, preferably your own, to help heal it. its kinda weird.

i do it tho.

[Primarygun]

It seems like saliva would infect it since it has bacteria, etc

Saliva secreted is antiseptic, but those have stayed in the mouth for a period of time contain lots of bacteria. I try to reconcile my thought with yours

[prion]

lysozyme is in saliva, that helps to kill bacteria. I suppose it doesn't kill the ones in your mouth but then those aren't the ones you need to worry about in terms of a wound getting infected.

[abskebabs]

lysozyme is in saliva, that helps to kill bacteria. I suppose it doesn't kill the ones in your mouth but then those aren't the ones you need to worry about in terms of a wound getting infected.

Too true. Note this is as long as you lick your own wounds and not somebody else's! Otherwise you're probably helping spread germs[i know its fairly obvious].

[Norman Albers]

I heard recently that saliva is a disinfectant. Think on the fact that every opening in our body is dependent upon a continually refreshed wash of mucous coat. If our lungs did not have a mucous escalator continously running up and out, how long do you think it would take to fill up like a vacuum bag? (Calcs, please.) Surely it would be good design to have here a barrier to bacteria of the outer world. Starting with tubeworms, life is that which declares an inside from an outside, no? Back to the topic, smush up plantain and saliva and spit on the wounds of those you love!