Introduction: we often say saliva, that is, saliva, which is also called “body fluid”, “manna”, “Yuquan”, “Tianhe water” and so on in traditional Chinese medicine. Don’t underestimate this inconspicuous “saliva”, which is beneficial to human health care. Let’s follow Xiaobian to understand the health preserving effect of “saliva”!
There is an old saying in traditional Chinese medicine that “if you keep a little body fluid, you will have a little vitality”. In traditional Chinese medicine, body fluid is one of the important material bases of human life. In people’s health care life, this old saying is very meaningful.
In traditional Chinese medicine, saliva secreted by the human body is called “Jin” and belongs to Yang, the main body. There is also a saying in traditional Chinese medicine that “body fluid and blood are of the same origin”, which means that body fluid and blood are derived from the essence of diet and can breed and interact with each other. If you consume too much body fluid, you will lose both qi and blood; The loss of Qi and blood can also lead to insufficient body fluid. The increase and decrease of body fluid can directly affect the balance of yin and Yang in the body, and diseases will also arise from it. For example, patients with high fever sweat too much, and patients with gastrointestinal diseases vomit too much, which will lead to loss of Qi and blood due to damage to body fluid.
saliva has eight functions for human health:
First, it has hemostatic effect. Saliva can promote blood coagulation. Saliva can help hemostasis when bleeding is caused by oral trauma or tooth extraction.
The second is lubrication. The saliva contains mucin, which can make the mouth smooth and soft.
The third is the flushing function, which can wash away the food residues to keep the oral cavity clean and hygienic.
Fourth, dilution. When acid, bitterness and other irritants enter the mouth, saliva secretion increases and it is diluted to facilitate spitting out or swallowing.
Fifth, antibacterial effect. Various organic and inorganic components in saliva have certain antibacterial effect through different mechanisms, which can prevent inflammation of the mouth, throat and gums.
Sixth, it has the effect of healing wounds. There is a kind of nerve growth factor in the saliva, which can significantly shorten the wound healing time and accelerate the healing of burned skin.
Seventh, digestion. Saliva contains a large amount of amylase, which can hydrolyze starch into maltose and make it easy to be absorbed.
Eighth, it has anti-aging effect. Saliva contains a “salivary parotid hormone” that can keep people young. It can make people smart, strong teeth and strong muscles. In this way, even when people are old, they will be full of red light and will not reduce their youthful vitality.
It can be seen that “saliva” is precious and cannot be wasted or discarded at will. We should be good at promoting saliva secretion to achieve the goal of fitness, health and longevity.
So, for the health care of normal people, how can we “protect the body fluid and keep healthy”?
First of all, you should drink more water. You can soak some Chinese herbal pieces with the effect of promoting saliva, such as hawthorn, Schisandra chinensis, Ophiopogon japonicus, etc. The so-called “hoping for plum to quench thirst” refers to the “plum” which has the most effect of promoting saliva in food. Plums are flat in nature and sour in taste. They have the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving cough, producing saliva and quenching thirst. However, from the perspective of TCM syndrome differentiation, there are some situations that need attention, such as excessive stomach acid, phlegm heat cough, chest tightness cough and asthma, so it is not appropriate to eat too acidic food.
In addition, in ancient China, there was “the art of swallowing and nourishing the body fluid”, which can be used for reference by some people with chronic diseases of the digestive system.
the art of swallowing and nourishing the body fluid
After washing and gargling in the morning every day, slightly press the top of the palate with the tip of the tongue, and the body fluid will gush out. After filling the mouth, stir it with the tongue several times and swallow it slowly; Or in leisure time, use your tongue to touch your mouth. When your mouth is full of saliva, rinse it several times and swallow it slowly.
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