Saliva is produced in the salivary glands. It is an important compound since it mixes in with your favorite foods right before it goes down the esophagus and into the stomach. There are three salivary glands: the parotid gland (located at the back of the mouth right next to the ears), the submandibular (or submaxillary) gland (located underneath the tongue at the back of the mouth), and the sublingual gland (located behind the chin). Saliva is made up of mostly water. It also contains mucus and many electrolytes such as: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, bicarbonate, phosphate. Mucus in saliva mainly consists of mucopolysaccharides (complex sugars) and glycoproteins.Most of the saliva is made while a person is awake. When asleep, the body produces almost no saliva.
There are many antibacterial compounds such as thiocyanate and hydrogen peroxide. Many enzymes are also found in saliva such as amylase which starts the digestion of starch; lipase digests fat before the food is even swallowed. Amylase and lipase work best at a pH of 7.4. Lysozyme causes lysis in bacteria. Lingual lipase mixes with the food but is not activated until it enters the acidic environment of the stomach.
Saliva also mixes with many cells. Possibly as much as 8 million human and 500 million bacterial cells per milliliter mix in with the saliva.
Opiorphin, a pain-killing substance, is also found in human saliva. Opiorphin has the potential, depending on the quantity, to be about five times stronger than morphine.
In insects salivary glands are used to produce silk and glues.
The complex stew that is saliva may explain why sometimes people lick their wounds and why animals clean themselves with their tongues (instead of toilet paper).
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