Scorpion venom shows promise as rheumatoid arthritis treatment

Houston researchers are turning to a surprising source for possible relief of the miseries of rheumatoid arthritis – scorpion venom. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have found that one of hundreds of components in scorpion venom reduced the severity of the disease in rats without inducing side effects associated with other treatments. They reported on the research this week in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.