Semen ingestion (seminophagia) may be either for erotic gratification, or in the belief by a few that it has spiritual benefits, or nutritional value and other physical benefits. Sources of semen are either from human males or male animals. Semen ingestion may happen when fellatio is performed to climax, in which case it is accidental or purely sexual.
Contents
* 1 Purported health benefits
* 2 Taste and quantity
* 3 Cultural practices
* 4 Health risks
Purported health benefits
Semen is primarily composed of water, but also contains some protein, and small amounts of minerals such as zinc and calcium, and has 5 to 7 calories per teaspoon. Research has indicated that semen has antidepressant properties because of epinephrine and various mood-altering hormones that it contains, and it has thus been called, "Nature's Prozac."
Semenophagia's greatest benefit may be the fact that semen contains a substance which conditions a mother's immune system to accept the "foreign" proteins found in sperm as well as the resulting fetus and placenta, keeping blood pressure low and thereby reducing the risk of preeclampsia. Regular exposure to the baby's father's semen, especially orally, may help make a woman's pregnancy safer and more successful, because she is absorbing her partner's antigens.
Although some writers in the past, such as Havelock Ellis and, citing Ellis' sources, Marie Stopes, have said that consumption of semen is good for women's physical and mental health and prevents lesbianism and nymphomania, this has been seen as a way of reinforcing the patriarchy: women's dependence upon men.
Taste and quantity
One source has noted that "few women praise the taste" of semen. However, as with breast milk, the taste of semen may 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 higher quantities.
Cultural practices
Several tribes of Papua New Guinea (the Etoro, Sambia, Kaluli and Gebusi) believe that semen provides sexual maturation among the younger men of their tribe. To them, semen 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 drink their elders' semen. This fellatio and seminophagia custom commences among prepubescent males and postpubescents.
In the modern St. Priapus Church, consumption of semen in the presence of others is a form of worship. The Gnostic Mass composed by Aleister Crowley included the consumption of semen and menstrual blood, however some chapters of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica now do not practice this due to the potential risk of sexually transmitted disease.
Health risks
Seminophagia carries some risk for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV or herpes.[11] Even if semen is cold before the individual ingests it, viruses can stay contagious 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.
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Contents
* 1 Purported health benefits
* 2 Taste and quantity
* 3 Cultural practices
* 4 Health risks
Purported health benefits
Semen is primarily composed of water, but also contains some protein, and small amounts of minerals such as zinc and calcium, and has 5 to 7 calories per teaspoon. Research has indicated that semen has antidepressant properties because of epinephrine and various mood-altering hormones that it contains, and it has thus been called, "Nature's Prozac."
Semenophagia's greatest benefit may be the fact that semen contains a substance which conditions a mother's immune system to accept the "foreign" proteins found in sperm as well as the resulting fetus and placenta, keeping blood pressure low and thereby reducing the risk of preeclampsia. Regular exposure to the baby's father's semen, especially orally, may help make a woman's pregnancy safer and more successful, because she is absorbing her partner's antigens.
Although some writers in the past, such as Havelock Ellis and, citing Ellis' sources, Marie Stopes, have said that consumption of semen is good for women's physical and mental health and prevents lesbianism and nymphomania, this has been seen as a way of reinforcing the patriarchy: women's dependence upon men.
Taste and quantity
One source has noted that "few women praise the taste" of semen. However, as with breast milk, the taste of semen may 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 higher quantities.
Cultural practices
Several tribes of Papua New Guinea (the Etoro, Sambia, Kaluli and Gebusi) believe that semen provides sexual maturation among the younger men of their tribe. To them, semen 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 drink their elders' semen. This fellatio and seminophagia custom commences among prepubescent males and postpubescents.
In the modern St. Priapus Church, consumption of semen in the presence of others is a form of worship. The Gnostic Mass composed by Aleister Crowley included the consumption of semen and menstrual blood, however some chapters of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica now do not practice this due to the potential risk of sexually transmitted disease.
Health risks
Seminophagia carries some risk for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV or herpes.[11] Even if semen is cold before the individual ingests it, viruses can stay contagious 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.