Snake venom - An unconventional recreational substance for psychonauts in India.
Devendra Jadav, Rutwik Shedge, Vikas P Meshram, Tanuj Kanchan, Raghvendra Singh Shekhawat
Journal of forensic and legal medicine October 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102398 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople have used psychoactive substances for recreation throughout history, but the use of animal-derived substances, such as snake venom, is rarely reported. In India, snake venom is used recreationally for its reported effects on mood, pain perception, lethargy, and blurred vision. This review examines whether these effects are caused by the venom's constituents or are self-induced.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Psychoactive fauna Psychoactive substance Snake venom Substance abuse |
| Key finding | The recreational effects of snake venom may be due to its constituents or self-induced effects, requiring careful review. |
Abstract
Psychoactive substances have been used by humankind for recreational purposes since time immemorial. The psychoactive properties of these substances are known to alter the consciousness, mood, and perception of people taking them. While the use of alcohol, opioids, and cannabinoids for recreational purposes has been researched thoroughly, cases of using psychoactive fauna or animal body parts for getting a 'high' are seldom reported. One such psychoactive substance used in India is snake venom. Snake venom has been reported to cause mood alteration, nociception, lethargy, and blurring of vision, and hence requires a careful review to delve into whether the recreational effects felt by the users can be attributed to constituents of snake venom or are solely due to self-induced effects.