Nature clearly has a sense of humor. In the world today there are some incredibly poisonous animals. While these spiders, snakes, and scorpions are incredibly frightening to most, as they could mean certain death, they also hold the cure to many diseases that run havoc in our society. Research has shown that the venom from these animals is incredible for fighting many diseases. The idea that nature hides something good behind a veil of danger should come as no surprise as it is usually the way nature acts. Nature protects its sweetest fruits with hard and spikey skin. It appears it also protects its greatest cures within its most dangerous animals as well.
Spiders are one of the most feared animals in the world. Whether it is the small spider in your living room that causes your dad to jump on the sofa or the daddy longlegs that hides in the corners of the house. Yet there are spiders in the world that deserve to be feared. The black widow is undoubtedly the most infamous of spiders although it is now very rare to die from a bite (although you definitely need medical attention to survive). There are a wide variety of spiders that carry venoms that are incredibly dangerous for people to be bitten by. Yet those who are the most dangerous are also the most beneficial.
Spider venom is now used to fight an incredible number of diseases including cancer, muscular dystrophy and more. The funnel-web spider in Australia is one of the most well known for its vicious venom. Yet the same venom can be used to stop brain damage occurring from a stroke. The tarantula too has proven to be an effective pain killer.
While the spider is well known for its incredible bite, the snail is not so famous. Of course, your household snail is as friendly as they come but there is a cone snail whose bite is so dangerous that if it bites you, you will only have a few minutes to live. In the last 90 years, 36 people have died from its bite. Imagine the report in the local paper saying that a beloved member of your society was killed by a snail. Now that is tragic. The venom is so powerful that scientists are sure it can be used for a wide range of benefits but are still trying to harness it in the right way. It is estimated to be hundreds of times more powerful than morphine so at present the greatest issue is that it may be too powerful.
The snake is the other famous venomous foe. Its venom is feared around the world but it is also the most widely used for medicinal purposes. Many ancient civilizations were known to use snake venom for its beneficial purposes. In the 1960s the most significant discovery was made when a Malay doctor realized that vipers could be used to make blood clots. Since then a number of important discoveries have followed.
Scorpion venom is another incredibly potent poison that could be used to save lives. It is currently being tested as a treatment of cancer cells. One of the most surprising of all though is bee venom. Many people don’t even realize that a bee has venom but it does. If you are not allergic to bee stings then this venom is actually beneficial for you. The main thing it does it make the next bee sting hurt a lot less. However, bee venom is now being modified to help with numerous diseases including arthritis, asthma, eczema, Lyme disease, and yes cancer too.
