What does this do and why do humans seem to instinctively do it?
In: Biology
Wound licking is a conserved instinct among mammals and some other species in the animal kingdom.
Saliva contains natural antiseptic that can kill some types of dangerous bacteria on contact, and also contains clotting factors that kick-start the wound healing cascade in the injured tissue. A natural painkiller is also present in saliva.
Even though saliva also contains a lot of bacteria on its own, the benefits of being able to lick wounds outweigh the risks in the wild. We, of course, have access to advanced medicine so we don’t always have to rely on such a crude method of wound care.
Saliva is naturally antiseptic so is a decent way too initially treat a minor cut/graze etc. By sucking, you also apply a small amount of pressure to the wound which can help to relieve pain by allowing better blood flow to the area.
I think it depends on the person and their age. It could stem from the sucking reflex babies have that makes them feel more comfortable, so sucking on a small cut could alleviate some of the pain. It should generally go away after a certain age.
Wouldn’t sucking on the wound remove any possible poison or if something got in there? I mean it doesn’t seem very smart but I could see myself instinctually just doing that.
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