De brebajes y serpientes: entre la triaca magna y una emergencia de salud global

The Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain (RANME) has extended this unique exhibition until 3 February 2027, bringing together over 100 high-value pieces that reveal the fascinating ancient relationship between humans and animal venoms.

In collaboration with the Museum of Hispanic Pharmacy-UCM, the National Museum of Natural Sciences-CSIC and the ASISA Foundation, RANME has organised this exhibition to present the historical, scientific and cultural journey showing how medical knowledge has evolved from tradition to experimental science, featuring remarkable examples such as the theriaca magna, the legendary universal antidote of antiquity.

"The exhibition is structured around two main themes. The first is the theriaca magna, one of the best-known antidotes against poisons, which emerged in the Hellenistic world and became established in Roman times. "It was a mixture of ingredients including plants, minerals and viper meat, based on the assumption that 'like cures like'. It was used for centuries to prevent or treat poisonings. We now know that many of these medical concepts were mistaken, but this demonstrates that humans have spent more than 2,000 years trying to understand how poisons work and how to protect themselves from them," explains Dr Aida Verdes, curator of the exhibition and researcher at the Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology of MNCN-CSIC. "The exhibition connects history, culture and biology to show how something we associate with danger and death also helps us better understand evolution and develop new treatments," she adds.

"The MNCN contributes its knowledge of the animal world and the numerous species that have evolved the ability to produce venom to this exhibition, with a particular focus on snakes. There is a great diversity and richness of venoms which, in many cases, may have therapeutic potential," states Prof. Rafael Zardoya, director of the MNCN-CSIC.