Fasting spittle â saliva produced first thing in the morning, before breakfast â was a treatment used in folk medicine in the ancient Mediterranean. Spittle was thought to cure many diseases. Spittle cures were usually considered to be more effective if fasting spittle was used.
An early reference to the alleged medicinal benefits comes from the Roman author Varro, who mentions it as a cure for epilepsy and snake bites among other ailments.
Roman natural philosopher Pliny commented in his Natural History that fasting spittle was efficacious in the treatment of ophthalmia, and that the fasting spittle of a woman was particularly beneficial for treating bloodshot eyes.
The New Testament contains multiple instances of Jesus using spit as a cure. The Gospel of Mark records Jesus spitting directly into the eyes of a blind man, and the Gospel of John records Jesus using a mixture of spit and mud to make a poultice for healing blindness.
Suetonius, Tacitus and Cassius Dio mention Roman Emperor Vespasian treating blindness in a similar fashion. Tacitus mentions that Vespasian consulted with physicians before healing the blind man with his spit. Tacitus also gives a natural, medical explanation for the healing, unlike Suetonius and Cassius Dio who ascribe a more supernatural aura to the restoration of the blind man's sight.
The Talmud also references the alleged medicinal benefits of saliva, particularly that of a first-born son.