Snot

Snot refers to mucus in the nasal cavity. Snot is secreted by goblet cells of the nasal mucosa and functions to protect the respiratory tract. The secretion of nasal mucus is continuous, but because the nasal cavity and the esophagus communicate, it is generally ingested unknowingly. Increased mucus secretion in the respiratory tract is a symptom of many common diseases, such as a cold. It is normal to have mucus in the nasal cavity and throat, but an increase in quantity will affect comfortable breathing and require mucus to be expelled from the back of the throat by blowing your nose or spitting. Snot can also be removed by nasal flushing using traditional methods. In Western society, the more common method of treating mucus is to use drugs such as decongestants. In medical terms, a small piece of dry or semi-dry nose is called a nasal stone or booger. Booger is formed when the mucus catches dust or other particles in the air. The mucus dries and hardens around the particles, somewhat like the formation of pearls in oysters. Since the capture of external particles is one of the main functions of snot, the presence of booger is an indicator of a functioning nose (as opposed to rhinitis). Dry snot can usually be removed by plucking the nose, but in many cultures plucking the nose in public is considered indecent. A more civilized method is to vigorously wipe the snot with toilet paper to stimulate the nasal secretion and flush away the booby.