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Most people are scared of snakes. Probably not so much the snake itself as the thought that the venom from the snake might kill them. It is the same with all poisonous creatures on the earth. We fear them probably because we fear death. Sometimes irrationally, a grass snake can conjure up the same fear as a cobra in a person who hasn't a way to tell the difference. The psychological aspects of fear and animals is beyond this article though. It is the physical response to the poison of a venom that we will look at.
A recent report from Science magazine online (here) discusses the advantage of using venom as a solution for human diseases and crop management. It also discusses how venom evolves in species.
According to the report, some of the human conditions animal venom already treats include diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and imaging brain tumors during surgery. There are many more conditions such as arthritis and possible cures for cancers (here).
Most modern medical processes will end up costing a lot for the extraction and final marketing etc. of the venom. Already the prices are quite high (here), with scorpion venom reportedly being $39,000,000 per gallon (that's about 4 litres). Ayurveda and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) has been using animal venom as a cure for thousands of years. It may not cost as much as these new processes and without it being produced on such a mass scale could result in less harm to wildlife.
The reports show we have these cures from venoms, but there are probably many more out there to discover. Nature has answers for us and scientists are proving it constantly. Venoms are adapting, which is great news as they could cure even more diseases. Maybe there isn't any need to be scared of snakes, insects, or spiders, be cautious, but remember they also give life as well as death.
Wasp venom kills cancer
Sources:
1. Science Mag:Venoms to the rescue http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6405/842
2. Vyas, V. K., Brahmbhatt, K., Bhatt, H., & Parmar, U. (2013). Therapeutic potential of snake venom in cancer therapy: current perspectives. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 3(2), 156–162. http://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60042-8
3. The ten most expensive liquids in the world, by Alexi Melvin. https://beyondtype1.org/the-10-most-expensive-liquids-in-the-world/
4. Snake on leaf: Photo by Alfonso Castro on Unsplash
5. Youtube video, by 369 Universe.
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