Centipede venom as a potent arthritis cure

Originally this was going to be a reply to phoenixxavierre at the end of this thread where he said:

<I>I've handled wild caught Trachycormocephalus species and was bitten. It wasn't all that concerned about me holding it and was very curious about investigating my hand, but it WAS hungry, and that was my mistake. I failed to feed it before I handled it. It had been fed before that, but wasn't "filled to capacity", lol! It decided I was worthy of a "taste." hehe! It got comfortable on my hand and decided to bite me on the area where my thumb knuckle is. It bit me where I had a "wart" type growth, some scar tissue (can't remember what it was from, I think a cut that later sort of turned into a wartlike scarred area). The area that was pronounced there actually diminished in size after the bite, as if it's bite "cured" the area of skin. Strange!</I>

This reminded me of this article (scroll down a bit) I found a while ago about a man who experiences relief from his arthrithis by allowing centipedes to bite him.

Bee venom has been used for various conditions in the past, and people haven't completely analysed the compositions of a lot of venoms yet, so who knows what sort of potential - beyond causing pain, they could have?

Neat huh?

Greensleeves

Cool info......there's a lot of research being done on many venomous animals and uses of there venom for medicinal purposes.........but I'm still NOT going to let my pede bite me for the sake of science. ;P

That's amazing!!

Way cool! Thanks for posting that! Really interesting!

Paul

Originally posted by phoenixxavierre
That's amazing!!

Way cool! Thanks for posting that! Really interesting!

Paul

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Indeed. Not sure if I agree with the method of injection. Pede bites can't be as hygienic as a hypodermic needle. Then again, who would want to convince a pede to give up some venom any other way? I wonder if someone could collect venom from them the same way they do with snakes?

Speaking as a layman with limited knowledge on the subject, it could be that in your case the necrotising effects of the venom actually ate away some of the underlying scar tissue to promote a smoother appearance.

No one should try this at home, though.

Greensleeves

Originally posted by greensleeves
Indeed. Not sure if I agree with the method of injection. Pede bites can't be as hygienic as a hypodermic needle. Then again, who would want to convince a pede to give up some venom any other way? I wonder if someone could collect venom from them the same way they do with snakes?

Speaking as a layman with limited knowledge on the subject, it could be that in your case the necrotising effects of the venom actually ate away some of the underlying scar tissue to promote a smoother appearance.

No one should try this at home, though.

Greensleeves

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Lol! I've heard that the bacteria from the centipede mouth can cause problems. I imagine they could be milked like a snake. I also imagine it would take quite a few milkings to get a substantial amount.

Are you sure the venom has necrotic properties? I always thought it was the bacterial complications that caused any necrotic tissue damage. It's an interesting theory, though!

Perhaps whatever it is that's in the venom that causes the paralysation of it's prey is what numbs or dulls the pain of the athritic? Very interesting stuff. I think I'll need to get back into school to study this kind of thing! lol! By the time I do that, though, the "experts" will probably have the answers to such questions any way!

Paul

Originally posted by phoenixxavierre
Perhaps whatever it is that's in the venom that causes the paralysation of it's prey is what numbs or dulls the pain of the athritic? Very interesting stuff. I think I'll need to get back into school to study this kind of thing! lol! By the time I do that, though, the "experts" will probably have the answers to such questions any way!

Paul

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Where's our resident neurological expert? Different types of venom, including of a predatory snail, are being looked at for solutions to chronic pain as they are neurotoxins, and act upon the nervous system in ways that may be able to shut down mysterious types of pain - such as phantom limb pain in amputees.

Who knows, maybe some day pede keepers could have a lucrative side business milking their charges of venom for drug companies working to provide solututions that will give pain sufferers increased quality of life.

Greensleeves

Originally posted by greensleeves
Where's our resident neurological expert? Different types of venom, including of a predatory snail, are being looked at for solutions to chronic pain as they are neurotoxins, and act upon the nervous system in ways that may be able to shut down mysterious types of pain - such as phantom limb pain in amputees.

Who knows, maybe some day pede keepers could have a lucrative side business milking their charges of venom for drug companies working to provide solututions that will give pain sufferers increased quality of life.

Greensleeves

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Wow! That's interesting!

And that would be AWESOME!!

Paul