Citation

Chippaux JP, Ramos-Cerrillo B, Stock RP. Toxicon 2007; 49(5): 717-720.

Affiliation

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, La Paz, Bolivia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.toxicon.2006.11.002

PMID

17174999

Abstract

The black stone (BS) has been used since antiquity to treat envenomations. Since no actual clinical trial has ever been performed we used an experimental approach to evaluate its efficacy against the venoms of Bitis arietans, Echis ocellatus and Naja nigricollis. Local application of BS after intramuscular venom injection had no demonstrable effect on the outcome of envenomationa and it did not change the LD(50) of B. arietans venom. Our results show that, contrary to widespread belief, no efficacy to treat envenomation may be expected of the BS.

Language: en