Saturday, November 19 2011
By David "Doc Stogie" Diaz | StogieFresh.com
Okay, so this is an article about SPIT. Hey, what can I say? This has been a question that I have received from numerous people and it is a slippery one...<ahem> Seriously, this is a thorny question because of the different ways cigar smoke affects the salivary glands in the mouth. In some people, cigar smoking increases saliva and reduces them to so many Pavlovian dogs, while in others, smoking reduces saliva production and leads to a dry mouth worthy of the Sahara Desert.
First things first...what is saliva? Saliva is a viscous, clear, watery fluid secreted from the parotid, submandibular, sublingual and smaller mucous glands of the mouth. There are literally hundreds of saliva producing glands in the mouth, so there is obviously a lot of "potential" for hawking a heavy gob of expectorate.
Saliva contains two types of secretions, one is a digestive enzyme called salivary amylase (or ptyalin) and the other is a secretion containing the lubricating fluid, mucin. There are many functions of saliva besides lubricating the mouth and helping to pre-digest food. Saliva helps to remove debris from the oral cavity, regulates the acid-base balance in the mouth and maintains the general health of the oral mucosa. Saliva also possesses antimicrobial and immune system functions.
That said, it is still unclear why tobacco has different effects on different people. It is likely that it is purely due to individual differences in a person's ability to tolerate the components of cigar tobacco. It has been long noted that smoking increases the salivary response in new smokers. The mucous membranes are not accustomed to the components in cigar smoke and overreact. Over time, people develop tolerance to the tobacco constituents and salivary secretion is reduced as a smoker becomes more accustomed to smoking cigars. So, it appears likely that newbie cigar smokers will notice heavy saliva buildup.
Another consideration is the time that the tobacco is in contact with the salivary secreting membranes. The longer a cigar smoker keeps a cigar in their mouth, it will likely increase the flow of saliva.
In any case, supercharged spit should not worry you. It is likely a temporary condition that will vary with the type of cigar smoked and the time that you have been smoking.
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About the Author
David "Doc" Diaz is the publisher of Stogie Fresh and the editor of the Stogie Fresh Cigar Journal. He has served as an educator, researcher and writer and has taught in the Health Education and Health Science field for over 30 years. He possesses an earned doctorate from Nova Southeastern University. Learn more by visiting stogiefresh.com.
