5 Remarkable Life Saving Poisons

1. Digitalis 

Digitalis is another name for the common foxglove, an attractive, flowering plant native to Europe and Asia. Digitalis, the plant’s scientific name refers to the plant’s tubular blooms, which can be eased over a person’s finger much like a thimble. There are roughly 20 distinct species of digitalis, each one containing different chemicals, some of which have been linked to deadly steroidal glycosides. Although every part of the plant is toxic to some degree, the leaves found on the upper stem are considered the most dangerous to humans. Medicines made from foxgloves are known as “Digitalin”. Digitalin has been used to regulate heart rate and aid atrial fibrillation. It is often prescribed to individuals who have experienced heart 
failure. 

2. Hemlock 

Hemlock is one of the most well-known poisons in the world. Hemlock houses Coniine, a neurotoxin which impairs central nervous system function and causes death by blocking the flow of oxygen to the heart and brain. However, despite its deathly fame, hemlock can also be used as an effective sedative, and was praised by Persian and Greek doctors for its arthritis-easing properties. 

3. Ergot

Ergot is a fungus that infects rye crops. When people consume rye infected with ergot, they exhibit a number of peculiar symptoms, including convulsions, hallucinations, strong uterine contractions, nausea and even death. Ergot consumption has even been linked to instances of mass hysteria. 
 
In the middle ages, small doses were used to quell maternal bleeding after childbirth and bring about a miscarriage. Today, ergot is an important ingredient in many of the medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. 

4. Yellow Scorpion Venom

Recent trials have found that scorpion venom could actually treat some cancers. Scientists at the Transmolecular Corporation in Massachusetts have managed to identify and isolate a particular protein contained in yellow scorpion venom which has been shown to hunt down and bind itself to cancerous cells. If treatment is consistent, the protein is able to destroy the cancer cells over time. 

5. Cone Snail Venom 

Cone Snails are unusually sophisticated sea predators. Using its distinctive radula tooth and a poison gland packed with neurotoxins, the Cone Snail can render its prey immobile with a single stabbing action. Although the Cone Snail “sting” may feel something like a bee sting, it 
can prove fatal among humans. However, Cone Snail venom can also be used as a powerful, non-addictive painkiller. The first pain killer containing Cone Snail venom, Ziconotide, was approved for use in the US in December 2004. Known as “Prialt”, this drug may come to replace morphine in years to come. Cone Snail venom has also been linked to the treatment to epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. 
 
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