Indian doctors are extremely headache with the case of two men addicted to cobra venom, even letting the king cobra bite their tongue to “satisfy”.
According to the Telegraph, two men from Rajasthan have repeatedly let the king cobra bite their tongue to relieve their addiction, instead of alcohol or drug addiction.
Experts do not understand why two Indian men survived after being bitten by a cobra.
Experts at the Institute of Medical Research in India are currently assessing whether the two men are immune to cobra venom.
The study was published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. Specifically, two men have repeatedly paid snake owners to let the king cobra bite their tongues. Each time, the two men “had paralysis, convulsions and blurred vision for an hour,” says expert Sandeep Grover.
“After waking up, they say they experience arousal, many times more intense than drinking alcohol or taking drugs.”
“We are currently investigating the problem, because the abuse of cobra venom is not mentioned much in the medical literature.”
The two unnamed men are in their 30s. It is unclear how they are able to resist snake venom. Because cobra venom can kill an adult cow in just 30 minutes.
According to Grover, only four cases of snake venom use for gratification have been recorded in the past in India. Most come from wealthy families.
“It is not yet clear how a person can produce antibodies against snake venom and even become addicted to this deadly nerve agent,” said Indian expert Savita Malhotra.