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Revision as of 02:07, 22 September 2009 by JGabbard (talk | contribs) (→Taste and quantity: bracket)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Spermophagia is the ingestion of semen for erotic gratification and/or physical or spiritual benefits.
Health benefits
Please see the semen page.
Health risks
There is no risk in ingesting the semen of a healthy man. Seminophagia carries no additional risk other than those inherent in fellatio. Fellatio does carry some risk for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV or herpes, however, HIV and all other viruses are inhibited by saliva and destroyed by stomach acid. Research has suggested that performing unprotected oral sex on a person infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) might increase the risk of oral or throat cancer. The study found that 36 percent of the cancer patients had HPV compared to only 1 percent of the healthy control group. It is believed that this is due to the transmission of HPV because this virus has been implicated in the majority of cervical cancers. Even if semen is cold before the individual ingests it, viruses can stay active for a long period of time once outside the body. Contracting diseases from oral sex is more likely if there are sores in the mouth.
Taste and quantity
One source has noted that "few women praise the taste" of semen. However, as with breast milk, the taste of semen can be altered by diet. Higher red meat and dairy intake may increase its generally salty taste. Asparagus has been noted to cause bitterness, while parsley, celery, cinnamon, and many kinds of fruit (especially tropical) are noted to sweeten it. The semen of heavy smokers and drinkers tends to carry a more acrid taste.
The volume of semen ejaculate varies, but a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful is normal (5 to 15 mL), making 10 mL a rough average. However, the amounts can be double or more in cases of prolonged interval between ejaculations, or depending on the man himself. Younger males tend to produce larger quantities.
Cultural practices
Several tribes of Papua New Guinea (including the Sambia and the Etoro) believe that semen provides sexual maturation among the younger men of their tribe. To them, sperm possesses the manly nature of the tribal elders, and in order to pass down their authority and powers, younger men of their next generation must eat/drink their elders' semen. This fellatio and seminophagia custom commences among prepubescent males and postpubescents.
Spiritual views
In the modern St. Priapus Church, consumption of semen in the presence of others is a form of worship. It is esteemed as sacred because of its divine life-giving power. Some chapters of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica practice the consumption of semen during the Gnostic Mass, composed by Aleister Crowley.
External links
See also
References
- http://www.factbites.com/topics/Semen-swallowing
- Rosenthal, Sara. The Gynecological Sourcebook, McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003, ISBN 0071402799 p151
- http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/citation/116/6/635
- http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SafeSex/Archive/Other/Q188582.html
- http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Oral-Sex-Linked-To-Mouth-Cancer-Risk-5772-1/
- Staines, L. What women want Rodale, 2000, ISBN 1579540937, p.236
- http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/electronic-publications/stay-free/10/semen.htm | "The Taste Below the Waist"
- http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/17/9/2468
- http://www.gettingit.com/article/56
- J. Gordon Melton (1996, 5th ed.). Encyclopedia of American Religions (Detroit, Mich.: Gale) ISBN 0810377144 p. 952.
- Gallagher, Eugene. Ashcraft, Michael. Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, Greenwood, 2006, ISBN 0275987124, p.101
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