Why doesn't venom hurt us if we drink it when it's medicine?

Answer 1

There are two separate issues here: # The venom of a rattlesnake needs to be injected into the bloodstream to work. If you drink it instead, since it's a protein your body treats it like any other protein and digests it. As long as you don't have open sores in your mouth or stomach (ulcers), the protein cannot get into your bloodstream before it's digested and rendered harmless. # Some kinds of venom can be used to make antivenin, a medicine to protect against the venom itself. However, antivenins are generally injected; you don't drink them, as again they're proteins and would simply be digested without doing you any good. It's possible that certain venoms are used orally in certain kinds of what's usually called "traditional medicine," herbalism, or homeopathy. They don't do any harm for reason 1 above. They also probably don't do any good for reason 1 above, and any benefit derived from the practice is most likely due to the placebo effect.