Traditional Chinese medicine refers to saliva secreted by human body as "body fluid", which belongs to yang and the main surface. There is a saying in Chinese medicine that "body fluid and blood are homologous", which means that body fluid and blood are derived from the essence of diet and can reproduce and interact with each other. Excessive loss of body fluid will cause deficiency of both qi and blood; Deficiency of qi and blood can also make body fluid insufficient. The increase or 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 more, and patients with gastrointestinal diseases vomit more, which will lead to loss of qi and blood due to damage of body fluid.

There is an old saying in Chinese medicine that "if you leave a little body fluid, you will have a little vitality". Body fluid in TCM is one of the important material bases of human life. In people's health care life, this old saying is very meaningful.

Saliva (saliva) has eight functions for human health:

First, hemostasis: saliva can promote blood coagulation, and saliva can help stop bleeding when oral trauma or tooth extraction causes bleeding.

The second is lubrication: saliva contains mucin, which can make the mouth smooth and soft.

The third is the washing function: it can wash away food residues and keep the mouth clean and hygienic.

The fourth is dilution: when acid, bitterness and other irritating things enter the mouth, saliva secretion increases, and it is easy to spit or swallow after being diluted.

Antibacterial effect: Various organic and inorganic components in saliva have certain antibacterial effect through different mechanisms, which can prevent inflammation of mouth, throat and gums.

Sixth, the treatment of injury: there is a nerve growth hormone in saliva, which can significantly shorten the wound healing time and accelerate the healing of burned skin.

Seventh, digestion: saliva contains a lot of amylase, which can hydrolyze starch into maltose, which is easy to absorb.

Eighth, anti-aging effect: saliva contains a kind of "salivary parotid hormone" that can keep people young, which can make people smart, have firm teeth and strong muscles, so that even if people are old, they will be flushed and will not lose their youthful vitality.

It can be seen that "saliva" is precious and should not be wasted or discarded at will. We should be good at promoting the secretion of saliva, so as to achieve the purpose of strengthening the body and prolonging life.

How can we achieve "healthy care for Tianjin"?

First of all, drink plenty of water, and you can soak some pieces of traditional Chinese medicine, such as hawthorn, Schisandra chinensis, Ophiopogon japonicus and so on. The so-called "looking at plum to quench thirst" refers to the most nourishing "plum" in food. Plums are flat and sour, and have the effects of moistening the lungs and relieving cough, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst. However, from the perspective of TCM syndrome differentiation, some situations need attention, such as hyperacidity, phlegm-heat cough, chest tightness and cough, etc., and it is not advisable to eat foods that are too acidic.

In addition, in ancient China, there was "the skill of swallowing body fluids for health preservation", which some patients with chronic digestive diseases might as well learn from.

Pharyngeal body fluid preservation

After washing every morning, gently press the tip of your tongue against your palate, and body fluids gush out. After taking it into your mouth, stir it with your tongue several times and swallow it slowly. Or in your spare time, touch around your mouth with your tongue, and when the saliva in your mouth is full, drum a few times, rinse a few times, and then swallow it slowly.