Saliva contains various beneficial elements for healing, such as enzymes, proteins, and growth factors, which promote tissue regeneration and have antimicrobial properties, helping to heal small skin wounds.
Your saliva is not just there to moisten your mouth; it contains several substances capable of fighting bacteria. Among them is lysozyme, a protein that can directly destroy the walls of certain bacteria, making it easy to eliminate them. You also find lactoferrin, a kind of trap for bacteria, as it deprives these microbes of the iron they need to grow. Additionally, your saliva contains antibodies like immunoglobulin A that neutralize harmful germs as soon as they land on your small wound. All of this together seriously limits the risk of infection, which indirectly promotes rapid healing.
Saliva naturally contains growth factors, which are small, highly active proteins such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). These molecules act somewhat like messengers, stimulating the rapid multiplication of skin cells where it has been damaged. They directly promote healing by accelerating the formation of new, fresh tissue at the site of the wound. Thanks to these natural boosters, small cuts heal a bit faster when you moisten them with your saliva (as long as they remain superficial and clean!).
Saliva contains compounds capable of reducing inflammation. One of them is histatin, a protein that helps soothe irritation by decreasing the activity of certain immune cells involved in the inflammatory response. There is also opiorphin, a molecule that acts somewhat like a natural painkiller, effectively alleviating the minor pain felt during a superficial injury. Thanks to these molecules, saliva quickly limits redness, swelling, and the unpleasant sensation associated with small wounds.
Saliva contains various compounds such as epidermal growth factors (EGF), which directly stimulate the renewal of skin cells. Specifically, when you get a minor injury, these molecules give a boost to your skin cells to repair themselves faster. They are capable of activating the proliferation of fibroblasts, those special cells that gradually regenerate the damaged tissue around the wound. As a result, the skin heals more quickly and harmoniously. This natural phenomenon explains why you can observe rapid improvement when you instinctively apply your saliva to small cuts.
Saliva contains several enzymes that are useful for repairing small wounds. For example, lysozyme directly destroys bacteria by attacking their walls, preventing infections from settling in the wound. Other enzymes like salivary amylase help clean debris present on cuts and indirectly facilitate the healing process. The presence of enzymes in saliva acts somewhat like a gentle and natural cleanser that limits microbial proliferation and promotes an environment conducive to rapid healing.
Animals, such as dogs and cats, instinctively lick their wounds because their saliva contains enzymes and proteins that promote healing and reduce the risk of infection.
About 99% of human saliva is composed of water, while the rest includes electrolytes, proteins, enzymes, and antibacterial compounds capable of accelerating healing.
Recent studies have shown that histatin, a protein found in human saliva, plays a key role in the healing process and may even have therapeutic potential for difficult-to-treat chronic wounds.
The average daily saliva production in an adult ranges from 1 to 1.5 liters, thereby providing constant protection against bacteria and continuously promoting the balance of the oral flora.
If your mouth contains infections or a lot of bacteria, applying your saliva to a wound could theoretically introduce new germs. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid this practice if your oral hygiene is not optimal. Generally speaking, for superficial wounds, this risk remains low.
Among the active components are, among others, lysozyme, an enzyme with antibacterial properties, growth factors such as EGF (epidermal growth factor), as well as other anti-inflammatory compounds and salivary enzymes that contribute to cellular repair and the rapid healing of minor wounds.
In medicine, saliva serves, among other purposes, for the diagnosis of infections, the analysis of hormone levels, and the assessment of biological markers. It has also been studied for its therapeutic potential in tissue repair and the healing of certain superficial lesions.
Saliva is primarily effective on small cuts or minor scrapes. It has antibacterial properties and cellular regeneration capabilities that are useful for superficial wounds, but it is not sufficient for treating deep wounds or significant infected lesions.
Animals lick their wounds to clean the injury of impurities, but also because their saliva contains natural antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and healing substances that help prevent infections and promote faster healing.
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