Bee, Cobra Venom Help Treat Arthritis

Cobra Venom Erases Arthritis Symptoms
By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News, 1/12/2010

In 2002, arthritis sufferer Joe de Casa was working in his Northamptonshire garden in England when a venomous snake bit him. After surviving the bite, de Casa, who struggles with arthritis, claimed that the following months provided his only pain-free days in years.

Such anecdotal claims, including teachings in India's centuries' old Ayurveda traditional medicine system, may hold some truth. Venom from cobras may not only treat arthritis, but also prevent further damage from the condition…

Venom from other animals and insects, such as bees, may also fight arthritis.

Jin Tae Hong of South Korea's Chungbuk National University and his team determined that bee venom also treats rats with induced inflammatory arthritis.

"Our data show that the anti-arthritic effects of bee venom are related to the anti-inflammatory effects of bee venom," Tae Hong said…