Boa boa venom, what?

[SteveGrenard]

The problem with this particular homeopathic remedy is that Boa snakes do not produce venom. They are non-venomous constrictors. This is not only fake because it is diluted as many times as the bailout, what about 700 billion or a trillion ... but because the "base" substance does not exist. Nor does the species it allegedly comes from.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20081002-ENTERTAIN-810020329

There is no species of Boa known as “Boa boa”.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boa_constrictor


There is a species Scaley dragonfish with this in its name but it is not a snake:


http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1806

[Mojo]

The problem with this particular homeopathic remedy is that Boa snakes do not produce venom. They are non-venomous constrictors. This is not only fake because it is diluted as many times as the bailout, what about 700 billion or a trillion ... but because the "base" substance does not exist. Nor does the species it allegedly comes from.


Neither does Oscillococcus, but this hasn't stopped them making a remedy out of it that is just as effective as any other homeopathic remedy.

[fls]

Once you've completely turned off your ******** Detector, why bother turning it back on?

Linda

[Silly Green Monkey]

Not only that, but diluted disease causes aren't homeopathy at all. Homeopathy 'treats' with substances that result in the same symptoms, not even looking for the original cause.

[tesscaline]

Of course, its entirely possible that the guy's doctor (knowing the person in question had a mild virus that could not be treated with antibiotics) decided to give the guy a placebo to appease him...

I mean, I know people who outright demand that doctors give them antibiotics for the flu because they don't think a doctor is doing their job unless they get a prescription out of a visit...

So... Maybe the doctor isn't really a quack in this case, but was merely telling a white lie to avoid an argument with someone who was suffering slight delirium due to a fever?

I only put this forth because I can't (in any searches done) find any reference to "boa boa venom" even as a homeopathic remedy (I know there's no such thing as a boa boa snake, and that boa constrictors don't produce venom, so I thought the name as a homeopathic remedy might show up).

[Drewbot]

I think are venomous boas in the Erycinae subfamily of family Boidae.

There is no snake called Boa Boa, but I have two possibilities or scenarios.

1. All boas are in the family Boidae, some of these are in the subfamily Boinae, These could be shortened to Boa-Boa. If someone didn't really know anything about names.

2. There is a fish with the latin name Boa Boa, I believe it is a dragon fish. Don't know if it is venomous, but I think it is eel like in appearance, thus the mistake of 'snake'

I'm not making excuses, just offering possibilities to the description of the product. Still think it crap though.

[htf666]

There are NO venomous boas.Harry

[SteveGrenard]

I think are venomous boas in the Erycinae subfamily of family Boidae.

There are no Sand Boas (Family Erycinae) which are technically venomous. Scott Weinstein and Sherman Minton in 1987 discovered that oral secretions (saliva) from a
Fischer's Boa (Epicrates striatus) which is a member of the Erycinae shared antigens found in the venom of several African elapid snakes (neurotoxic snakes). But that's about it.
No one ever bitten by a Sand boa, including me, has ever had any neurotoxic symptoms of envenomation; Sand boas do not have canniculated or grooved fangs nor do they have venom glands or Duvernoy's glands (found in venomous rear fanged snakes). In short they do not fill any of the criteria for being venomous but based on a few stray antigens which may be of phylogenetic significance rumours and allegations that they are venomous have emerged from time to time.

(Ref: Medical Herpetology{1994} by S. Grenard, p. 103).

The dragon fish which has the species and ssp name boa boa is not venomous either and it is a fish, not a snake. See ref in OP.

[Drewbot]

You are right. My bad. I had heard of an Iranian Sand boa that had a mild venom, but I can't find anything to back it up.

If someone did have a reaction it was probably an allergic reaction to the saliva.