Ever get a paper cut and instantaneously stick the finger in your mouth? You can admit to this — it’s natural, according to Dr. Chris Smith on the Naked Scientists website. Anytime humans injure themselves the reflex is to stimulate the nerve cells in order to feel better. So if you knock your arm on a wall, you might rub it, and if a finger is sliced or you bust a lip, the automatic reactions work in a similar fashion.

Sucking on a cut finger will remove any foreign matter, too, taking it right down to your stomach where its acid destroys it (although a better method might include a good wash with soap and water, and applying an antiseptic). Swallowing a little bit of pathogen-free blood shouldn’t harm you — say, a teaspoon or so. So don’t worry about the odd nosebleed or tooth extraction that leeches blood into your digestive system.

Be careful, though, if the bleeding becomes severe and you keep ingesting it. Swallowing too much of your own blood can bother the stomach — so much so it might induce vomiting. Instead of making the situation better, this can also worsen the bleeding, according to the University of Michigan Health website. Rather than swallowing the blood, it is better to spit it out in a sink or receptacle.

Blood only works for vampires

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