(silence) (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Reality Films. - [Narrator] For thousands of
years mankind has sought out the mythical substance we
now call the elixir of life. The tablet, pill, fluid
or even spiritual concept that will enable
us to live forever. From ancient Egypt
to medieval Europe, great civilizations have
secretly worked tirelessly to discover the power
of nature to alter God's predestined human lifespan
and unlock the mysteries of eternal life. Along the way, there have
been many f
alse claims and foolish ideas, but one
secret remained hidden, locked away in a belief
system now lost to us and hidden by a jealous church. The secret of the elixir
of life was discovered. A substance that
protected mankind from illness and
extended his life. A natural poison that
was also a natural cure. We shall discover the secret
locked away in the mythology of the ancient worship
of the serpent. It will reveal to us the
truth behind the Holy Grail and the Philosopher's Stone. And now, with
modern science,
we will see the wonder of our ancestors and
their amazing discovery of the elixir of life. There is, indeed, an
excess of mythological data as well as historical
and analogical evidence to back up the truth that
the serpent and the snake was the very literal
root of the Holy Grail, the elixir of life and
the Philosopher's Stone. And this is clearly laid
out in my film and book, Secrets of the Serpent. But can we really prove it
to be true, scientifically? This is a question that
has been asked before, although, not in connection
with the Holy Grail. Some have questioned
the possibility that there could be
medicinal benefits from the byproducts of snakes, but nobody has ever gone so far as this in the
voyage of discovery. And, although, there
are those scientists who are looking at the protein
structure of snake venom as an aid to the immune system, none has linked the
immortality factor. Indeed, most scientific research
into the immortality factor seems to be in the
re
alm of the geneticist. (dramatic music) In 1999, scientists
claimed to have discovered a group of genes that hold
the key to immortality. Experiments using fruit flies identified that they have
genes which have the power to make cells last indefinitely
by the simple method of repairing damage. When these genes are activated, the fruit fly can live
up to three times longer, the only way to death
being through wear and tear to their wings and vital organs, making it impossible to compete with othe
r fruit flies for food. This profound research in itself shows that there are
still possibilities open to mankind
for extended life, if only we can utilize
the same methods in humans as those utilized
in the fruit fly. But, as ever,
there are problems. As Professor Leonard
Hayflick pointed out, there are genes that
indirectly determine longevity. But if rich people
could buy treatment to increase their lifespan,
it would cause chaos and this age-old human
desire to search out the Holy Grail of e
lixirs
has caused similar problems in the past. Some have even attempted
to profit from their idea that, for some unknown reason, the snake holds
the power to heal. This became profoundly
evident with the peddlers of the now infamous snake oil back in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. The very idea of
snake oil remedies is now synonymous with
quackery and fraud. But where did this concept
originate in the first place? Although, many
believe the phenomenon to be an all-American idea, it did
not, in fact,
originate there. It seems to have
begun in England and we know this from a
Royal Patent issued in 1712 to Richard Stoughton's elixir. By 1750, there were
already over 200 remedies protected by this same method. Adding to this,
all those remedies being touted without patents, and there must have been
a substantial amount of revenue created. Very quickly, these medicines
were shipped across the globe until the American revolution
interrupted the supply chain to that particular
far o
ff colony. From here on end, the
Americans were, basically, on their own and
forced to produce their own brand of snake oil. By 1849, men such as Perry
Davis were household names with remarkable
painkillers and cures for such complaints as cholera. Indeed, his own All
Cure was widely used in, virtually, the whole world
as cholera became epidemic. The whole remedy marketplace
was becoming flooded with all manner of weird
and wonderful concoctions such as the Kilmer
brothers Swamp Root and Pinkon'
s vegetable compound. Men such as Doc Heelie, Texas
Charlie and Nevada Ned were becoming remarkably
wealthy individuals and, it is from this overkill,
that the market sector began to fall into
saturation and disrepute. Great medicine shows toured
the nation and even the world pitching their tents
and wares in every town. Wonderful
mass-produced cure-alls were forced down the necks
of the world's gullible whilst the full-time,
serious medical practitioners were building up a
wealth of knowledge,
research and ammunition
to knock them down. Eventually, the remedy
peddlers were reduced to no more than showmen
and even appeared in Barnum and
Bailey's great shows, the act of selling
becoming more fascinating than the product they peddled. Because the content of much
of the snake oil remedies was, in fact, alcohol,
there was a small resurgence during prohibition, but
eventually, there were fewer and fewer takers. As the strict laws against
alcohol were eliminated, war came and real medicine
b
egan to take a stronghold on the marketplace. Most of the remedies contained
no actual snake oil at all. The name just being in
place to imply knowledge of the great secrets of
the native Americans. But one or two did
contain snake oil. Real snake oil was highly prized and in a newspaper
article from 1880, we find that John
Gere told the reporter how he killed rattlesnakes
and extracted oil from their bodies. Gere was a well-known trapper,
hunter and snake tamer, selling an extracted oil
for one
dollar per ounce. It was said by many to
have great curative powers and going by the historical
evidence we now have, no reason to doubt it. Another man, Clarke Stanley, otherwise known as
the Rattlesnake King, peddled snake oil liniment
which was believed to be good for man and beast and in a
fanciful exhibition in 1893, he held crowds spellbound
as he slaughtered hundreds of rattlesnakes
pressing their juices into vials and creating
his famous Cure All. His own advertising campaigns
explained
how his remedy was a wonderful
pain-destroying compound, the strongest and the best. Lame back, lumbago,
contracted muscle, toothache, sprains,
swellings, could all be cured. Stanley claimed that he
had discovered the recipe from a Moki, a Pueblo
Indian, a medicine man and there is no reason
we can find to doubt him, especially, when we consider
that native Americans did, indeed, treat health
problems with snake oils and even applied rattlesnake
grease onto affected areas. However, by 1905, the
rot
had well and truly set in, as an article in Collier's
Magazine entitled, the Great American
Fraud, had illustrated. There had to be some origin
to this quack attitude brought to light
by the showy style Western peddlers of America. (dramatic music) Now, instead of looking
at the myth and folklore of the world for clues
of etymology and ritual, we need to revisit them with a
view to finding good evidence for a scientific approach to
the use of snake in medicine. But where to begin? There are
literally millions
and millions of pages of literature that we
could search through, but we would be much
older and grayer by the time we finished. We do not have to go far to see that across the
dimension of time, there are hundreds of
references to the snake in use as medicine. Much of the scientific evidence comes about within
the realm of alchemy, but some is found in
folklore and medical history of certain nations. For instance, in regard to
Lithuanian folk medicine, we have to sift throug
h research on over 500 animal materials, all utilized for different
ailments to discover, at the very core of their
medical practice, was the snake. It's interesting to note that
the application of flaxseed and the fat of a snake or
lizard is still used today in the Egyptian
countryside as an ointment for rheumatic pains. Stomach diseases were divided by the Tibetan doctors
into two kinds, cold and fever, and further
subdivided into seven kinds. For treatment of
the bleeding type, use H, rum, L,
C,
snow, shell, powder, snake meat and ammonia salt. Sharp pain in the stomach,
liver, chest or lumbar region can be cured by CACO3,
H, rum, L, snake meat. (speaking in foreign language) Ninazu, Lord of Physicians,
was an important healing deity and the emblem of his son
was the double-headed snake. A double-headed snake's
ceremonial beaker
is another proof that the link between
the snake and medicine is of the Babylonian
origin before the Greeks adopted this concept. Apart from the fact that
h
undreds of years ago these people were utilizing
bee stings to aid arthritis, they were also utilizing
what they called the great healing
properties of the snake. They killed the poor animal,
dried it out under the sun or over a hot fire and then
immersed it in alcohol. The use of alcohol in the
medicinal applications of the snake is very widespread. It is said that Jesus
was issued gall, also known as snake venom
and vinegar, which is wine, just like the great
alchemist and physician mixing win
e and snake. There has been no investigation that we have been able to
uncover which has tested the use of alcohol with
snake derivatives to see if there are any beneficial
qualities introduced. However, it may be a dampening
effect on the various toxins by the alcohol which occurs. The Lithuanians said that
eating a snake would help a man shrug off illness just like
the snake which sheds its skin and in relation to the skin,
the snake was said to cure dermatological problems in
a rather peculia
r manner. It was believed that,
by eating the snake, your hair, nails and skin
fall off to some extent only to grow again,
even better than before. As yet, we have not
tested the theory. And, as they say on the
TV, don't try this at home. The very reason given by
most mythological experts for the serpent's symbolic
link with immortality is due to its ability to shed old
and ragged looking skin. It does so without bleeding,
without illness or infection. This would have appeared
miraculous to earl
y man as they watched the
snake renew its flesh. The most prolific use of
the snake in medicine, however, must simply be China. To find out about this, we contacted the
Director of the Institute of Traditional Medicine
at Portland, Oregon, who directed us to a paper
he had recently written on the subject. According to this paper, the
earliest recorded use of snakes in Chinese medicine was the
application of sloth skin described in (speaking
in foreign language) from approximately 100 AD. But we
found that, though, this
was the first written text, there are oral traditions
which predate even this. Even at this early
stage in written texts, the snake was being utilized
to treat superficial diseases such as skin eruptions,
eye infections, sore throats and hemorrhoids. This shows a remarkable link
with the snake oil peddlers and their claims
for skin treatments as well the Lithuanian ideas. The use of the
snake gall bladder, the meat of the pit
viper and snake skin is then mentioned
in abo
ut 520 AD in the Ming transactions
of famous physicians. From here on, there are
numerous mentions of the snake in hundreds of Chinese papers
and it is widely believed that much of this information
actually originated from India and to India, most likely
originated from Sumeria. The reasoning behind
this assumption is the fact that
there is much evidence of the use of the
snake in Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Arabic
cultures as well, and all fairly similar to the
written text of the Chinese. Altho
ugh, it is just
as likely to say that they could have easily
developed their own system of medicine and
utilization of the snake, especially, as it
is a universal truth that the snake has
healing powers. What opposes this, though,
is a similarity of the myths built around the snake
which point singularly to an almost worldwide
medicine structure in place. In current Chinese medicine, it is said that there
are three main features which appeal to the
traditional healer. One is the
flexibility and
speed, second is the
shedding of the skin, seen as new life
or resurrection, and third, is the poisonous
nature of the bite. They say that the
flexibility of the snake implied that substances
derived from the snake would aid those suffering
from debilitating diseases such as arthritis. We do find in modern
China that two snakes are currently used successfully
to treat just such diseases. And we also find
that they are killed and soaked in alcohol yet again. In fact, so-called
snake wine is produ
ced, which is said to aid
the problem of wind. The shedding of
the skin suggested to the Chinese medicine
man that the snake had regenerative powers
and is used widely for all manner of skin problems as well as traditional
method of anti-aging. It was discovered early on
that the toxicity of the venom, if taken orally was
greatly reduced. Adding to this, the discovery
that venom caused paralysis and that, now, orally taken
venom is mixed carefully and administered to patients
who have intense pa
in from muscle contractions
and convulsions. Even the very taste, or
should we say after taste, of the venom was written about, it being said to
taste like sweat. Strangely, the drink was
created, which to our amazement is still served today
in southern China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and in
special snake restaurants. One delicacy is to mix
rice with snake bile which is consumed before a meal as an invigorating appetizer. This may sound quite
disgusting to Western ears, but there is some
sense in wh
at they do. Snake bile has been shown
to be good for the treatment of whooping cough,
rheumatic pain, high fever and infantile convulsions,
hemorrhoids and much more. In China and elsewhere,
as we shall discover, snakes are becoming
very important in the treatment of cancer,
especially, the Agkistrodon, which is said to be
beneficial for leukemia. The Agkistrodon halys
and the water snake are converted into powder
and about three to five grams per day are taken with
other herbal remedies to trea
t hepatomata. Recent research has also
shown that snake venom itself may actually have some
worth in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The anticoagulant
element of some species has been found to help with
reducing blood pressure. We also find, again,
the use of alcohol in the Chinese medicine. In one particular remedy,
the venom of the cobra is used as a pain reliever. At a dosage of 0.168 milligrams,
its pain-relieving power is said to be three or four
times greater than morphine and it
does not
induce dependence. It is also said to be
effective against tumors and heart problems being
a good immune booster. And how is it prepared? Well, 0.3 kilogram of snake meat is placed in 0.18 kilogram
of wine and left to infuse. It is then swallowed
like a whiskey chaser. Cheers. Another use of alcohol is found in the traditional Burmese
remedy for stomach ache, burns and worms as well as a
whole host of other ailments. The Burmese python, this
time comes under the knife where it is kille
d, powdered, mixed with wine and then drank. Sometimes, it is used as a cream for its skin healing properties. Currently, import of such
medicines into the West is restricted due to
Western guidelines not necessarily being followed
in China and the products, therefore, being seen as
unsafe for our delicate bodies. Only about one 100 pounds
of snake is now imported which, in comparison to the
tons utilized in mainland China, pales into insignificance. We simply cannot test en
masse for the benefi
ts of the substances like we do, with say, hormone
replacement treatment. And, therefore, no
western government body is going to authorize
its use as a medicine in the public realm and
allow it to be issued by a doctor or nurse. It is a shame as there are
those who are literally fighting to get the west to
listen to the wisdom of the use snake
derivatives in medicine. Research is being
carried out in the east, however, with a great
deal of backing. Tsung-Ming was a pioneer of
venom research in T
aiwan. Born in 1893, he was
the first Taiwanese to become a medical
doctor when Taiwan was a colony of Japan. When Tu started to teach,
he chose three avenues for his students to follow. Chinese traditional medicine,
opium and snake venom. In the late 1920s, he
developed several methods to combat opium addiction
and his laboratory was among the first to
develop the first urine test to detect traces of the drug. As for his venom research, he
asked his students to collect data on instance of snake
bites
and the frequency of deaths. They then moved on to try and
discover why the venom killed. Tu wanted to turn the
killer venom on its head and make it a healing drug. From Tu's initiation into
the research on snake venom, many have followed
in his footsteps. And, even now, the research
goes on in his laboratory. Now, thankfully, there
is hope on the horizon as new research in America
has shown that the protein from the venom of
the copperhead viper, actually, slowed the growth
in cancerous
tumors in mice by up to 70%. And there is rapidly growing
excitement about the whole idea of using snake venom
for all sorts of cures. There are perceptions
to overcome still. The old idea of
snake oil salesmen, the fear of the unknown
and the idea of the danger. And, of course,
more importantly, the welfare of the
animals themselves. Regardless of popular belief, there are relatively few deaths
incurred from snake bites, especially, when
put in comparison with other animals' injuries. In Americ
a, there are between
one and two million bites per year with less
than eight deaths. Of course, we have to take
into account the modern use of anti-venom, the age of
the prey and other things. Normally, it is the infection,
which the bite creates, that ends up killing the
individual and not the venom. Obviously, there are some snakes which are extremely venomous
and all should be avoided. But, generally, the snake will
not attack you for no reason. The reason, generally,
being self-defense. Veno
m is a poison
that an animal injects and is an evolutionary
adaptation of the saliva glands to immobilize prey, not to kill. It is in the interest
of the attacker to keep the prey fresh. The defensive element of
venom is only secondary. The highly toxic venom is
produced in special oral glands which, in other animals,
are saliva glands and snake venom is considered to be modified
saliva via evolution. Because of the high levels
of enzymes and proteins in the venom, the injected
poison also tends
to begin the digestive process,
whereby, the cellular structure is broken down. Not all venoms are
the same, though. There are many different
mechanisms involved and the diversity of
the various elements which make up this unique
poison are immense. The makeup of venom
is, generally, 90%
protein by dry weight and most of these
proteins are enzymes. At present, scientists
have isolated approximately 25
enzymes which are proven to be of great medicinal worth. All these enzymes
work in different w
ays and splitting them out
is an essential part of the scientist's work,
almost like the alchemist trying to break down the
structure of his elixir. Some enzymes are involved
in the actual breakdown of tissue proteins. Others help to
speed up the process of the venom throughout
the appraised tissue and some are destructive
in muscles and nerves. There are many more
enzymes which break down connective tissues and
others which disrupt normal cellular functions. There are other elements to
the veno
m which are not enzymes such as polypeptide
toxins and glycoproteins. One thing is true, though,
most snakes have more than one toxin in their venom. The accumulative effect of
which is more potent poison. Generally, though, most
snakes can be broken down into two categories. Those that are neurotoxic,
which effect the nervous system, and those which are hemotoxic
which affect the blood and circulatory system. Understanding the various
elements of the snake venom, has been crucial
to medical sci
ence. By discovering what the
individual chemicals
and enzymes do, the scientists are now
utilizing the beneficial effects that can come from them. For instance, the coagulation
element of the venom can help stop blood
clotting in certain patients whereas the thrombosis element
can help those who need their blood thickening. The neuro toxins may yet found
to be excellent pain relief as many people with
arthritis are discovering. The greater understanding
of what are known as inorganic icons will
help the researchers to turn off or on the specific
harmful or helpful enzymes. There is, in fact, a massive
potential for snake venom because of the very
fact that it contains such a unique
diversity of elements. It seems that the
venom is not used for medicinal purposes
in its entirety. Instead, the various
constituent parts are split out and used to such things as pain
relief and blood disorders. Drugs used in cardiovascular
treatment were derived entirely from research
into the bothrop's ve
noms which were found
to contain peptides which interrupted the enzyme
involved in hypertension or high blood pressure. Cobroxin, a kind of morphine
is derived from cobra venom and arvin, the
anticoagulant is an extract of the Malayan pit viper. The various components of
snake venom are also utilized in research for physiology,
biochemistry and immunology. By using the specific
elements which speed up or, indeed, slow down
the biochemical and
cellular process, the researchers can judge
more easi
ly the response to certain drugs in individuals. Venoms are also currently
being investigated for their use as antiviral
and antibacterial agents as well as for epilepsy,
multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease,
cardiovascular disease, neuritis, conjunctivitis
and cataracts. The list is widening
and seemingly endless. The Journal of the American
Medical Association in 2000, reported on the outcome
on the trial of a new drug made from the venom of
a Malayan pit viper. It's called Ancrod and is
ma
de by Knoll Pharmaceuticals. It acts by producing
defibrinogenation
in stroke patients. Fibrinogen is a protein which
is synthesized by the liver and the depletion of it
makes an anticoagulant effect which decreases the
thickness of the blood which, in turn, leads
to improved circulation. Ancrod is used in
Canada and Europe as a therapy for such things
as peripheral vascular disease, central retinal venous
thrombosis and deep
vein thrombosis. Some studies show indications that it could also be
e
ffective against stroke. One trial of 500 people,
with roughly half receiving the drug within
three hours of a stroke, the other half receiving a
placebo, showed good results. Neurological functions were
assessed in both groups. The group who received
Ancrod came out better than those receiving
the placebo. Although, Ancrod is not
believed to be completely safe, it is said to often
improve therapeutic option for stroke patients. Ingredients from the red
necked spitting cobra are providing ideas
on the
breaking down of cell membranes which, it is hoped, will
eventually provide treatment for leukemia and cancer. Snake venoms, as we
have already discovered, are multi-component
systems whose toxins are mostly proteins
and polypeptides. Proteins, as we all know,
are vital to the human body and increase
youthful appearance. Polypeptides are amino acids
and are derived from proteins. All snake venoms,
although deadly, are completely reversible
with the correct anti-venom. One way of creating
anti-venom
is by injecting venom into the bloodstream of a horse and collecting the
antivenoms like a factory from the bloodstream
of the beast. Even humans become
immune to venom after small doses
are administered and it may be this very act
of administering the venom which protected the
ancients from bites. The Hebrews only had to
look at the brazen serpent to be saved from snake bites. The concept is believed
that it is the high level of proteins in the snake
venom which makes it so deadly an
d modern science is doing
all it can to break down these elements, split them out, and use them individually
for separate diseases. It may be, though, that
the watering down of venom by using blood, especially,
the blood of the same snake which acts as an
antidote and protects it from its own venom, this
may be what is the virtual all healer of the ancients. We're under no doubt
that our ancestors were highly capable
of subjecting huge
numbers of people to testing in order
to get the mix of the
venom and
blood just right. Similar large-scale
testing was carried out in ancient Babylon
when the priests were developing
their astrological
forecasting systems. For now, however, we have to
realize and welcome the fact that there are those
scientists in the west who are willing to look
at the individual elements of the venom and develop
new medicines accordingly. The Cancer Research Campaign
in the UK welcomed research into what is known as
controstatin or CN, which is the protein found in
th
e copperhead viper's venom. It was found that this protein
had an even bigger effect on metastasis, the spread
of the malignant tumor from its original source. It was found that
CN had a 90% effect on tumors spreading in mice. The Cancer Research
Campaign said, it's the spread of cancer,
which in the majority of cases is so devastating, this
work is interesting because it's highly targeted
to tumor cell behavior. Although it's early days, it's
an intelligent way of dealing with cancer and clearl
y
has therapeutic potential. Inhibiting metastatic
spread of cancer and tumor blood vessel
development are two of the key approaches
under investigation. The US Food and Drug
Administration has
already approved one drug derived from the
rattlesnake called Integrilin which is being used
to treat people suffering from chest
pains, unstable angina and small heart attacks. In a recent study of 10,948
patients in 27 countries, the drug was found
to reduce the risk of heart attack
and death by 1.5%. M
ore research is needed,
however, to increase the success rate. Another remedy from
the alternative field of homeopathic
medicine is Lachesis. This time the venom is
not so much split apart into separate enzymes. More to the point, it is being
almost completely obliterated in dilution. Homeopathy, subjects
are given substance to huge amounts of
dilution, normally in water, and is a subject of
huge controversy in
the medical world. Here is a medicine developed
along similar lines to the idea we ar
e getting
from history and mythology, but this time, in a modern
bucket, not a chalice and called Lachesis,
not the elixir. Lachesis is the
venom of the Central and South American
snake which is itself called Lachesis muta. It is the largest venomous
snake found in the New World, measuring up to four meters and is related to
the rattle snake. Only small doses of
the venom are needed to totally destroy
red blood cells and extracting the venom
and then diluting it in large quantities of
lactose cr
eates the medicine. Homeopaths today recommended
Lachesis for patients whose symptoms are
similar to those actually created by the poison. Strangely, the
symptoms are the same as those created by
sulfur poisoning, which we found quite amazing,
when we considered the use of the symbolic sulfur
by the alchemists. It may be for this
reason that sulfur was chosen as the
symbol of snake venom. Lachesis in dilution can
eliminate the symptoms of venom poisoning
at full strength, showing the scientific
use
of a highly diluted version of the snake poison. It is said to aid choking
coughs, croup, earache, sore throats, indigestion,
throbbing headaches, insomnia, hot flushes, hemorrhoids
and sciatica, among others. It is, unlike many other
forms of snake cures, available over the
counter from a homeopath. It seems the
homeopathic scientist were among the only ones
actually leading the way in utilizing snake
venom for good ends. Lachesis mutas, for
instance, was discovered by Constantine Hering an
d is
now said by all homeopaths to be one of the most
important remedies available. Hering, against all Orthodox
and scientific advice, traveled with his wife to
the South American jungle searching for new
homeopathic remedies. The indigenous Indians
informed him about the snake which had terrified
them for generations. They claimed that even its
very breath was lethal. Hering eventually
convinced them to show him the whereabouts of the
snake and, together, they managed to trap a live one. He to
ok the poison
in a diluted form. But, almost immediately,
the toxic took effect and for several hours, he
suffered various symptoms. Just before losing
consciousness, Hering instructed his wife
to carry on taking notes of all the reactions induced. These notes were later entered
into the Materia Medica and have since helped
cure thousands of people. Strangely, Hering never
liked wearing tight collars. It gave him an unpleasant
feeling of sensitivity. One of the key symptoms
of Lachesis poisoning
is just that, a tight
feeling on the throat and by taking the remedy
of diluted Lachesis mutas, Hering actually cured
one of his own problems. There is no strict
scientific evidence for the truth behind
homeopathic remedies, just thousands of
satisfied people. There is a lot of
scientific research currently being carried out
regarding this peculiar science of similar cure,
that like cures like and as yet, it has
the boffins baffled. However, it is
paramount to note, for the purpose of
this new
theory, that the most powerful
homeopathic remedy available is from the venom of the snake. This new research is
only minor in comparison to the huge amounts of money
being invested in drugs at even smaller success rates and there still
remain good scientists with no monetary backing
who are being left alone to carry out their research. These are scientists who, in
stark contrast to the ones who split the venom
apart, actually believe that the whole venom or,
indeed, the whole snake should be se
en as a
useful medical tool. One such man was known lovingly
by the natives as Snakeman. Many years ago, this
elusive man grew fascinated with the use of
ancient Mayan medicine which appeared to be
derived from snakes and left behind his
Canadian lifestyle. This fascination
led him to Belize where he began the long
journey of discovery. After only a short time,
Snakeman came to believe that healing was more
about helping to boost the immune system rather than
treating the effected area with mode
rn drugs. In this modern world of ours, we are seemingly losing the
battle against mutating diseases and increasingly resistant
strains of viruses. Ancient diseases are
reappearing across the globe where we believed them
to be almost extinct. A legend of his
own time, Snakeman, otherwise known as
Peter Singfield, was seen as a great
god of medicine. Hundreds of natives visited
this peculiar medicine man for immune-boosting remedies with only a few
Westerners taking drugs. Snakeman's background
d
oes not give away his remarkable rebirth
as a medicine man. Having been a
mechanic and engineer at the National
Research Institute, he did, however, study medicine
and chemistry as a hobby. In the course of his
studies in Belize, Snakeman became friendly
with a Mopan Mayan healer known as Don Eligio Panti,
the last Mayan shaman with the title Doctor Priest. Panti died in 1996
at the age of 103. Snakeman moved on and met up
with another unnamed healer from El Salvador who
introduced him to cascab
el. It is strongly believed
to be the source of one of the most
potent medicines known to the ancient Mayans
and means rattle snake. Cascabel is still in
use today in Mexico and Central America. However, the healing properties did not seem to be
extremely effective against the major ailments
and so Snakeman went in search of the right ingredients. Eventually, he
discovered a subspecies of the tropical
rattlesnake called Tzabcan which he found had a
much more potent strength and simply improved t
he
ingredients of cascabel greatly. The use of cascabel has been
proven to have antiquity as it appears within
the Mayan codices explaining that no agitated
rattlesnake may be used. It turned out that
the new subspecies Snakeman had discovered
was, indeed, more docile than the previously
used species. Snakeman produced the medicine
in the traditional Mayan way by skinning, drying,
baking and grinding snakes. Natives from across the area
brought dead snakes to Snakeman for him to convert
into med
icine. It is believed the cascabel
is a strong immune booster which promotes rapid
healing and aids the body to fight against diseases
such AIDS, cancer, terminal diabetes and ulcers. All of this helps
us to live longer. The high levels of proteins may have some effect
within the medicine, although because is not known
what element of the drug is the immune booster, the
FDA and other authorities around the world will not
act upon its benefits. This reluctance to fund or
even test Snakeman's theo
ries have left him
dejected to the west. And now, only one or two
westerners take the drug. Using cascabel has been
proven scientifically to work. In one spectacular sequence, there are images of
a young drug addict who had suffered severe burns
inflicted by his dealers. The bones had turned gangrene
and the only western method of treatment would definitely
have been amputation and antibiotics. However, cascabel stopped
the invasion of gangrene and aided the
regeneration of tissues. Now, the man
has gained
the full use of his arm without the need for any
western medical intervention. If we remember back to mythology surrounding the Celtic cauldrons and the Holy Grail
ideas of healing, then we can now see how
these great mystical items could have healed armies of war
wounds and regenerated them to fight again another day. There is no substance on
the planet, even today, which can do such a remarkable
and magical thing, but there was once - the snake. We cannot leave out now
the famous B
ill Haast from our story. This amazing man has
been injecting himself
with snake venom since 1948 and has built
up such powerful antibodies that his blood, like the horse,
has been used as anti-venom. In addition to
injecting himself, he has also been bitten
at least 168 times. Haas believed strongly that
venom has kept him healthy, claiming to have never been
sick in his entire life since taking the venom. Bill Haast is not a doctor. He is, instead, a lover of
snakes and until recently, ran one
of the world's
largest serpentariums. At the age of 90, it
was said that Bill Haast looked no more than 50 walking
with a spring in his step and a secret in his veins. What obviously needs
serious investigations now are the uses, the sources
and the big question of why it works. As Snakeman discovered, the
level of effect of the medicine can easily depend upon the
species of snake utilized. All over the world there are
different species of snakes all probably with different
levels of effectiven
ess. It may be that different species were used
for different ailments. But one thing is common,
that venomous snakes across the board seem to
improve the immune system, albeit, at various
levels of effectiveness. One of the most well known
methods of anti-aging is called calorie restriction. This is a dietary method
which emerged in the 1930s and allows for a diet
which is rich in nutrients, but low in calories. In a series of
2,000 experiments, it was found to dramatically
extend the lifespan
of animals such as mice, rats
and even monkeys and is now popular among
the anti-aging fraternity. Although we would
strong advise anybody to take their doctor's advice before proceeding to
follow such a diet. One thing we do know is
that the snake is very high in nutrients and
low in calories. And this may be one of the ways in which the snake
aids life extension. What is most striking about
this research into the snake is that there could
possibly be many ways in which the snake
helps us live
longer. What it definitely seems to
do is boost the immune system, adding to the power of T-cells. It may be that we can
discover some of the secrets of the snake by
looking at the uses of other animals in medicine. The bee, for instance,
we've already mentioned is well known to help
arthritis and muscular pain. There are thousands of
people across the globe who daily subject
themselves to bee stings in order to overcome
the constant pain they find themselves in. The element within
the bee stin
g, therefore, seems to be a
blood-borne pain reliever. The eel, a snake-like fish, is found in fresh and
salt water around world. In one Japanese legend,
there is a story where eels disguise themselves as dragons. They are seen attacking horses
that have ventured too far into the waters and
suck their blood. This recalls the ancient
association with serpents, dragons and snakes with water
and the eel as pretender trying to steal the
blood back from them in the symbolized
form of the horse. Eels
can, however,
be used medicinally. Eel skin wrapped around a
joint can cure pain or ache. In Europe, the
ointment of the eel is said to allow mortals
the power to see fairies. So, we would see in the eel,
hallucinogenic substance that also aids the
relief of pain. Neither to our knowledge has
the eel been found anywhere in mythology to be
a life extender. It does seem that we always
revert back to the snake. Yes, there are many animals which are said to be good
for this ailment or that, but they
are not held
up as the all healers, the cure-alls and the
road to immortality. These are particular
to the specific snake. There are many plants and herbs also similar to those various
animals with specific cures, but it is only in
relation to the snake, that any of them become
associated with immortality. There maybe one specific
herb, for instance, which was used to help
with the discomfort of taking snake venom
and blood in Europe. Chamomile, a pungent herb
of the genus Anthemis, was widely
used
in medicinal ways. From the time of the Romans, we can see why the ancient
Egyptian snake lovers thought it to be sacred. The Romans believed
strongly that chamomile was an antidote to snake venom. Could this herb have been
used in the mixing bowl with the snake venom and blood? In Europe later on,
this herb became popular and was itself a
symbolic all healer, becoming an infused drink
across the entire continent. In the end, we revert
back to the snake as the ultimate
ideology of immortali
ty. And we have a specific
scientific assumption to make regarding
why this may be so. A theory not tested
and not proven, but a theory which is backed
by the surrounding evidence. We have heard that injecting
the horse with venom creates anti-venom. The active antibodies of
the horse's immune system then goes on to
create anti-venom and the horse, in turn, has
been shown to live longer and have its own
immune system boosted. The blood reacts with
the venom in such a way as to make it an opposit
e
of what it was previously. Now, when the snake
attacks a prey and injects a lethal
dose of venom, it then goes on to eat the
prey with all this venom still within the
bloodstream of the prey. It would, therefore,
still be poisonous, but the snake devours
the poor animal without any side effects. Most importantly, somewhere
in the snake's blood is an opposing effecting
anti-venom itself, which when mixed with
the venom of the snake, cancels out the
poisonous effects. Mixing the two together
in
the correct dosages could, therefore,
create a perfectly
enhancing immune system booster which could be taken
orally or otherwise by us. It could, therefore,
be for this reason that, in many
parts of the world, the whole snake is used
and there may be something within the very burning
and powdering of the snake which hermetically fuses the
venom and blood together. Various strengths and
remedies could be created and over a period of time,
any good Shaman or medicine man could test out the
streng
ths on slaves or otherwise keen volunteers. The myths and folklore
traditions from around the globe seem to back this
theory as we have shown. What is required now
is scientific testing, experimental evidence for
the beneficial aspects of the snake is not
necessarily hard to come by. And as we have shown, there
are people around the globe taking the snake-derived
medicine and being healed. What is difficult,
however, is the evidence from the scientists. There is relatively
little funding around
or indeed enough
interest to seek funding. Although we are opposed to the
murder of innocent animals, we are sure that, should
serious research be carried out to discover the
secret formula found within the body of the snake, then an artificial
drug could be created to stimulate the effect of
boosting the immune system. The one most striking
scientific element of the snake, which must be the reason
for its associating with the Holy Grail, is
the immune-boosting action. It is the boosting
of the
immune system, the aid to the T-cells,
which simply must be the aid to seeming immortality. Several people, in
close connection to
the use of the snake, have lived ridiculously
long lives, whilst those around them die. In our modern age, we
have already boosted
our immune system with drugs, good healthcare,
good diet, safe and warm houses and much more, but there are
still many who would benefit from further enhanced
immune systems. But is it becoming a
fact that immortality may just be around t
he corner. It is, according
to many scientists. Dr Ben Bova, President Emeritus of the National Space Society, said the first immortal beings
are living among us today. You might be one of them. There are men and
women alive today who may well live for centuries, perhaps, even extend their
lifespans indefinitely. They will not the become
feeble and sickly. Aging will be stopped,
even reversed. You may be young and
vigorous forever. Of course, we cannot eliminate
viral infections, disease, accide
nts and warfare, but we
can boost the immune system and we can and are working
hard on what is known as the Hayflick limit. This Hayflick limit was
discovered in the 1970s by Leonard Hayflick who found
that most types of human cells have natural limits to the
number of times they divide. Once their time is up, the cells cease to
divide or reproduce. There are, however, immortal
cells such as cancer cells, which barring
outside interference, will simply live forever. They have no Hayflick limit.
Even lowly bacteria
are immortal. The task at hand is twofold. How to stop the harmful
immortal cells from living and how to make
good cells immortal. Many scientists are turning to
what are known as telomeres. Basically, inside every
cell in the human body are strands called chromosomes. Human cells have 46 chromosomes. These contain the now well-known
DNA, the bible of life. At the tip of each
chromosome is a kind of cap which scientists have
named the telomere. This telomere stops the
end of
the chromosomes from sticking together. Bacterial DNA does
not have telomere caps and, therefore, the ends stick
together in a kind of circle. As Ben Bova says, like a
snake swallowing its tail. It is believed that these
caps are the clock of aging. Each time the cell divides,
the telomere shortens and when it is short enough, the cell ceases to
divide and we grow old. In 1998, researchers had
announced that they had managed to extend the life of
human cells indefinitely when they added telomera
se,
an enzyme which has been found to build new telomeres. Cancer cells were found
to produce telomerase in plentiful supply and this
gave the researchers the clue. Telomerase is present
in normal human cells, but for some reason as yet
unknown, it is deactivated. By adding telomerase into
the cell in abundance, it was found that
activation occurred. Of course, scientists
have also pointed out that this may increase
the rate of cancer in certain individuals. What is surprising is
that 90% of the
dry weight of most snake venom is
protein and peptide. This protein of the venom is
what attracts most attention with the enzyme groups
taking most of the credit for its healing factors. The truth is, however,
that nobody yet knows exactly what effect
these proteins have and which proteins
have the effects. There are success stories within
rational science, however, such as a new drug
called Capoten, which has been
developed from the venom of the Brazilian pit viper. Scientists found that
using
a rational design based on a nano peptide
called teprotide, they could produce blood
pressure lowering drug. It may be that, over
a period of time, researchers will fully
develop an understanding of the entire benefits of the
snake and come full circle in discovering what the
ancients knew all along. We are coming
closer all the time. But maybe we can
use some element in
modern science to show the benefits of the snake
in a roundabout sort of way. We know that the trance state and the enlighten
ment experience was, sometimes, initiated
by or facilitated by psychoactive
drugs or substances and this shouldn't be ignored. There is a substance which
relates to the pineal in a strange and unseen way. It is the drug Soma otherwise
known as Rue or Haoma. The Latin term is Peganum
harmala and it is also said that the term Eseen
came from another name of this wonderful
drug, the Eseena bush. Thus showing that these
early teachers of Christ were well in touch
with the pharmacology of the plants
and
animals around them. It is with this drug that
strange humanic trance states were achieved and
enlightenment gained. However, the most startling
discovery is that this Rue is said by our chemical
tradition to be a neutralizer of snake poison via
its beta-carbolines. When Christ was on the cross, he was issued gall and vinegar. The gall is snake venom, but
it was previously believed that the vinegar
was just stale wine. According to the
Nag Hammadi Gospels and other alchemical texts, this vin
egar was called the
vinegar of the four thieves and one of its ingredients
was Peganum harmala, the very drug that
neutralizes poison. It has been said that both
the taking of Peganum harmala and a subtle mixture
of snake venom caused trance-like
visions of snakes, leading people to perceive
that they are experiencing other worlds or
even enlightenment. They may well be. However, we would have to say
that this psychedelic effect is partly caused by
the mixture of drugs sparking the pineal
gland
to release hormones such as melatonin,
a potent antioxidant which has been shown by many
scientists to be beneficial in combating
anti-aging and cancer as well as a number
of other problems. These are the happy hormones. It has to be put forward
that this unique mixture of poison and hallucinogenic
drugs must have made the ancient user feel
that they were in contact with their God. It would have boosted
their immune system and left them on a
high for several days, almost a feeling of
being born
again. It can also be no coincidence, that in the subtle
language of symbolism, the pineal is known
as the cup or chalice and that modern-day
Christians still operate this very ritual to this day. It is now a distinct possibility that the so-called human
journey of the Grail, that of seeking
enlightenment, of seeing stars and shiny objects, of visiting
magical and dreamlike places and of immortality could
have been facilitated by these trance drug mixtures or very well be
the result of them, dis
covered as they were and
evolved over a long period of time as laid down
in myth and legend. They also held the
secret elixir within them. The venom of the snake. Of course, adding in the
later meditative device boosted this psychedelic trip. By meditating, the initiate
synchronizes his brain waves to eighth hertz and
by closing his eyes, he actually ceases the
flow of melatonin leakage into the greater body. Thus, saturating the neocortex
which, in turn, boosts the cycle and increases
the yield
of melatonin and another peculiar
hormone called pinaline. This extra pinaline is now
believed to actually help the cells in our body to
replicate, thus, extending life and boosting the immune system apart from actually
activating the brain by as much as 40%
more than normal. The science of the Grail
and the Philosopher's Stone and almost, more importantly,
the mystical idea of enlightenment which has
subdued billions of people for thousands of years to follow a religious doctrine or dogma, cou
ld have been facilitated
by or possibly have been the result of a chemical
and drug-induced trip. We can improve our health, our
immune system, be more alert, live much longer, and all the
time enjoy the whole ride. The worship of the
serpent or snake is found in every
culture of the globe. It is seen as wise and powerful. In the Bible, it
is the only animal to speak with its own voice. It holds the secret
of immortality. All religions, all
myths and folktales, hold within them the
secret of the
snake. Jesus was compared
to the wise serpent. Moses held up the
serpent in the wilderness to save the people. Christ sloughed off his
skin or shroud in the tomb to be resurrected,
just as the snake does. The snake is seen in the
dream time of the Aborigines. It is seen in
hallucinogenic trips as the entwined strands of DNA. It is the waveform. It is seen everywhere. The snake holds
within it the key to eternal life
and enlightenment. And yet, Christianity
has demonized it over the course of 2,
000 years. Now, it is seen as the devil. We have to ask this
simple question, why was the wonder of
this wonderful knowledge hidden from us? (dramatic music)
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