Antidote

An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning.

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Sometimes, the antidote for a particular toxin is manufactured by injecting the toxin into an animal in small doses and the resulting antibodies are extracted from the animals' blood.

Related Topics:
Toxin - Antibodies

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The venom produced by some snakes and spiders is often treatable by the use of antidotes, although a number do lack one, and a bite from such an animal often results in death.

Related Topics:
Venom - Snake - Spider

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However, some toxins have no known antidote. For example, the poison ricin, which is produced from the waste byproduct of castor oil manufacture, has no antidote, and as a result is often fatal if it enters the human body in sufficient quantities.

Related Topics:
Ricin - Castor oil

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Ingested poisons are frequently treated by the oral administration of activated charcoal, which absorbs the poison, and then it is flushed from the digestive tract, removing a large part of the toxin.

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Poisons which are injected into the body (such as those from bites or stings from venomous animals) are usually treated by the use of a constriction band which limits the flow of lymph and/or blood to the area, thus slowing circulation of the poison around the body.

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