It might seem bizarre that scientists should turn to deadly snakes to discover new medicines to treat life threatening conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure). but medicine and snake venom share a common aim – to change biological function. Venoms are extremely complex, each containing as many as 100 differen substances, and scientists believe they can yield a wide range of medicines. Research into the brazilian pit viper venom produced the first in a new class of anti-hypertensive medicines – the angiotensin-converting enzym (ACE) inhibitors9. It began because banana workers were known to collapse suddenly after being bitten by pit vipers due to a drastic fall in.
