Pharmacological Screening of Plants Recommended by Folk Medicine as Snake Venom Antidotes; IV. Protection against Jararaca Venom by Isolated Constituents1.

Fifteen Compounds, isolated from plants reputed as snake venom antidotes, belonging to different classes of natural products, were shown to protect mice to a significant degree against the lethal action of the venom of BOTHROPS JARARACA snakes. Administration was by the oral route, one hour prior to envenomation. The substances are nitrogen-free, low-molecular-weight compounds for which some kind of biodynamic activity has previously been reported. The fact that they are mostly trivial, naturally-occurring compounds should explain why plants used as snake-bite antidotes are so widely distributed over the plant kingdom.