Techniques for Collecting and Extracting Scorpion Venom in Scorpion Farming

The scorpion is a precious traditional Chinese medicine in China. Its medicinal use depends mainly on scorpion venom. This scorpion venom has a pronounced antispasmodic effect on humans and is called “liquid soft gold”. So how is scorpion venom produced? Where in the scorpion is it stored? How can it be collected skillfully without causing the scorpion pain? What issues should be noted during the extraction process? These questions will be answered one by one in this video.

Note: At present, some scorpion farmers, misled by certain breeding-stock sellers, have a biased understanding of scorpion venom, believing that scorpion farming is mainly about extracting scorpion venom. Every 5 kg of live scorpions can yield 1 gram of dry scorpion venom, which can bring a profit of 10,000 yuan, and extraction can be repeated every 2 weeks, making the economic benefit very considerable. Breeding-stock sellers advertise that they will buy back scorpion venom after selling breeding stock, but in reality this is a scam. Under current conditions, there is no simple equipment in China for testing the purity and authenticity of scorpion venom, and it is also difficult for ordinary research institutions to test it. Even if it is extracted, it cannot be bought back for various reasons. Moreover, the domestic scientific and technological level for utilizing scorpion venom is not yet high, and sales are still difficult. Therefore, scorpion farmers should treat this special farming industry correctly. Of course, as research deepens, scorpion venom will demonstrate its important role in human disease prevention and treatment. Related knowledge: When a scorpion is provoked, out of its defensive or attacking instinct, it will release venom from its venom sac. The collection of scorpion venom is based on this principle. The commonly used methods for collecting scorpion venom include the tail-cutting method, the artificial stimulation method, and the electrical stimulation method. Among them, the electrical stimulation method is the most advanced and scientific. Electrical stimulation method for extracting scorpion venom: This is a venom extraction method that combines the advantages of both the tail-cutting method and the artificial stimulation method. It has both relatively high speed and a relatively high venom yield, and does not affect the processing of the whole scorpion after venom collection, so it is commonly used in practice. This method can also be used for collecting toxins from many other animals such as ants, bees, and spiders. The electrical stimulation method for venom collection uses high-frequency weak current to stimulate the scorpion's tail segment, causing the muscles of the scorpion's venom sac glands to contract and prompting it to release venom. A multipurpose instrument for pharmacological and physiological experiments can be used for venom collection, with the continuous induced electrical stimulation setting adjusted to a frequency of 128 Hz and a voltage of 6 to 8 V. Use one electrode to clamp one of the scorpion's pedipalps, then use a metal clip to clamp the 5th segment of the scorpion's posterior abdomen, and use another electrode to continuously touch the metal clip, causing venom to be discharged. If there is no response, drip a few drops of normal saline on the contact area between the electrode and the scorpion's body, then use a 50 mL small beaker to collect the venom discharged from the telson, and vacuum-dry or freeze-dry it into dry venom as soon as possible. The venom obtained by the electrical stimulation method changes over time. The first drop of venom is clear and transparent, then milky white, and the venom discharged at the end is more viscous. With this method, a single scorpion releases a relatively large amount of venom. A female scorpion can yield about 0.3 mg at a time, and a male scorpion can yield about 0.2 mg at a time. The amount of venom released by scorpions is also related to environmental temperature. When the environmental temperature is high, the scorpion's body is in an excited state, and the amount of venom released increases accordingly; otherwise, it is smaller. Processing method for scorpion venom: Liquid scorpion venom is highly prone to spoilage when stored at room temperature, and can only be stored for about half a month even in a refrigerator. Therefore, it must be processed into dry venom powder for longer storage and use. The processing method is as follows: first put the liquid scorpion venom in a refrigerator to freeze. After freezing, move it into a vacuum desiccator, place an appropriate amount of calcium oxide as a desiccant at the bottom layer of the desiccator, cover the desiccant with four layers of new gauze, place a beaker containing scorpion venom on the gauze, and then use a vacuum pump to draw air. During the air-drawing process, observe carefully. If a large number of bubbles appears on the surface of the scorpion venom, stop for a moment and then continue drawing until it is basically dry, then let it stand for 24 hours so that the scorpion venom is completely dried and becomes granular crystals of varying sizes. This is the initially processed crude scorpion venom dry powder. Scrape off the dry venom powder and package it into small bottles, seal with melted wax, attach labels indicating the preparation date and weight of the scorpion venom powder, wrap with opaque black paper, and store in a refrigerator at -5degC; it will not deteriorate within 5 years.