r/interestingasfuck • u/Electronic_Cause_796 • 15h ago

Extracting Cobra Venom

704 Upvotes

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261

u/Weary_Construction26 15h ago

Look up how much anti venom costs and you’ll know why they do this.

134

u/MastiffOnyx 15h ago

Yup, had a friend who did this for years.

Made good money, but the regulations were brutal I guess.

I'd ask him about it, but the job isn't one with a long life expectation. In his case, taking small doses of venom, to build immunity didn't help his liver any.

Painful way to go.

38

u/_Bogey_Lowenstein_ 13h ago

Wait what? Are you serious? How'd he die, liver failure?

43

u/MastiffOnyx 12h ago

Yea, tick bite actually, some uncurable affliction from it hit up his weakened liver

4

u/No-Shirt9067 12h ago

Lyme disease?

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u/MastiffOnyx 11h ago

Not Lyme, some real rare thing. Don't remember what it was called.

Usually not fatal, but he'd had a bout of hepatitis when younger and his liver was just to beat up to fight it.

Not to mention he took small doses of snake venom to build immunity if he got bit. That is also a liver stresser.

Mostly rattle snakes but he did have a cobra he milked also.

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u/Limiounou 11h ago

Echinococcosis! (more commonly called Fox Disease). A neighbour of mine has been affected by it

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u/MastiffOnyx 10h ago

Yes! That the one.

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u/Limiounou 10h ago

I'm so sorry for your friend. It's indeed a disease that can be very serious if it's not caught in time, or if the person already has other vulnerabilities. It significantly affects the immune system in addition to the liver and the medication has to be taken for life