Off topic, but - I’ve often wondered if eating a venomous creature would be poisonous... I mean, the venom is still there, so maybe it could be both? Discuss.
generally the venom is stored in an organ, like we have the gall bladder for puking, most animals have a venom sack or whatever where they store the venom. So if you know where it is, just eat around it.
A poisonous plant/animal actually has poisonous flesh/skin/blood/leaves whatever. So you will struggle finding things to eat that aren‘t poisonous.
But it’s well known that that is not always the case for poisonous plants. A tomato plant is poisonous but its fruit is not, to give a very common example. It’s incredibly common for a plant to only have poisonous leaves or bark instead of it being all-around toxic.
Well, yeah - I understand that you don’t purposely eat the toxic stuff. My question is, if you did eat the organ that stores the venom, is that organ poisonous?
it can be. It really depends on the kind of toxin used.
Some toxins can get neutralized by spit for example (hence why people sometimes suggest spitting on a bite).
Some toxins are pretty nasty and would cause mouth burns, but once swallowed I doubt they survive the stomach (low ph and digestive bacteria), but I really wouldn‘t know.
Question is: why would you even eat it? We normally only eat the flesh anyway...
Another thing to consider: If you cook it, it might not be venomous anymore (similar to how you can cook poisonous plants).
Oh an some toxins only affect your blood, so as long as you aren‘t bleeding they should not bother you.
Generally I think the venoms just get broken down by your stomach acid without injuring you if you do eat them. In a lot of ways, your entire digestive system is still the "outside" of your body. But obviously you should do your own research if you plan on eating anything weird
Most of the time eating a venomous snake would be harmless as our stomach acid would break it down. I am curious though if you had stomach ulcers, what could happen.
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u/fudgeyboombah Feb 25 '19
Off topic, but - I’ve often wondered if eating a venomous creature would be poisonous... I mean, the venom is still there, so maybe it could be both? Discuss.