Human mucophagy, also known as eating mucus, is the act of ingesting the dried mucus extracted by nose picking.1
Prevalence and health
Stefan Gates in his book Gastronaut discusses eating dried nasal mucus, and says that 44% of people he questioned said they had eaten their own dried nasal mucus in adulthood and said they liked it.2 Andrade and Srihari cited a study performed by Sidney Tarachow of the State University of New York which reported that people who ate their boogers found them "tasty".3
Mucophagy comes with some health risks due to the germs on fingers and in mucus.1 W. Buzina studied the fungal diversity in nasal mucus in 2003. 104 samples were gathered with 331 identifiable strains of fungi and 9 different species per patient.4 However, Gates comments that "our body has been built to consume snot", because the nasal mucus is normally swallowed after being moved inside by the motion of the cilia.2
See also
See also
- Allergic salute (wiping of the nose with the hand)
- Neti (Hatha Yoga)
- Nasal irrigation
- Taboo
References
References
- Bellows, Alan (2009). "A Booger A Day Keeps The Doctor Away: A Medical Doctor Describes the Health Benefits of Nose-Mining". Alien Hand Syndrome: And Other Too-Weird-Not-To-Be-True Stories. Workman Publishing. pp. 28–30. ISBN 978-0761152255.
- Stefan Gates, Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave, 2006, ISBN 0-15-603097-7 (paperback), "Boogers", pp. 68, 69
- Andrade, Chittaranjan, and Srihari, B.S. (2001). "A Preliminary Survey of Rhinotillexomania in an Adolescent Sample." J Clin Psychiatry 62: 426–431.
- Buzina, W.; et al. (January 1, 2003). "Fungal biodiversity--as found in nasal mucus". Medical Mycology. 41 (2): 149–161. doi:10.1080/mmy.41.2.149.161. ISSN 1369-3786. PMID 12964848. Retrieved September 18, 2009 – via Google Scholar.