how are we able to salivate on demand?

Question

In other words, if I want to create extra saliva to appease a dry throat or swallow a pill without water, i can just summon extra saliva. How??

In: 1

Answer 1

The nerves that control saliva production are part of a reflex system. They fire without conscious thought and can be activated by smells, tastes and even the movement of jaw muscles!