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Published online 13 November 2006 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news061113-4
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Natural painkiller found in human spit
Compound in saliva could be more powerful than morphine.
A new painkilling substance has been discovered that is up to six times more potent than morphine when tested in rats — and it's produced naturally by the human body. Natural painkillers are very rare, and researchers hope that this recent find might be harnessed as a clinical treatment.
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