Samara, Iraq, claims he consumes at least one
live scorpion every day, and experiences
symptoms of withdrawal if he goes three days
without eating a nasty stinger.
When people like David Gracer started preaching
about the benefits of eating bugs, I don't think
they meant potentially deadly live scorpions. But
that hasn't stopped 34-year-old Ismail Jasim
Mohammed from feasting on them for the last
15 years. Tired of getting stung by scorpions
around the village of Agelam, near the Iraqi city
of Samara, the farmer decided to turn the tables
and give them a taste of their own medicine. One
day, he caught a live scorpion, put it in his
mouth and ate it alive.
He actually liked the taste and he has been
snacking on them ever since. Obviously, he was
stung in the mouth a few times throughout the
years, but Ismail says that helped him develop
an immunity to the scorpion venom. These days,
the man is addicted to his unusual diet, and says
he eats at least one scorpion a day. If he goes
three days without consuming a nasty critter he
experiences signs of withdrawal.
There is no shortage of scorpions around Agelam
in the summer, but they are hard to find in the
winter months, so in order to satisfy his bizarre
craving all year round, Mohammed stocks up on
bugs during the summer, and keeps them alive
around the house. His wife and children are
scared of the dangerous stingers and loath
seeing Ismail eat them but they've gotten used
to scorpions at the dinner table. Doctor Omar
Ibrahim, from the Samarra Hospital examined
the farmer and confirmed the scorpion toxin has
no effect on him.
Ismail Jasim Mohammed is not the only person
who has developed an immunity to venom in a
rather unusual way. Steve Ludwin has
been injecting snake venom into his
bloodstream for over 20 years, to boost up his
immune system.
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