Editing Reptile (section)

===Medicine===
{{See also|Epidemiology of snakebites}}[[File:Rod of Asclepius2.svg|thumb|upright=0.25|The [[Rod of Asclepius]] symbolizes medicine]]
Deaths from [[snakebite]]s are uncommon in many parts of the world, but are still counted in tens of thousands per year in India.<ref name=Sinha>{{cite news |last=Sinha |first=Kounteya |title=No more the land of snake charmers... |newspaper=The Times of India |date=25 July 2006 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1803026.cms}}</ref> Snakebite can be treated with [[antivenom]] made from the venom of the snake. To produce antivenom, a mixture of the venoms of different species of snake is injected into the body of a horse in ever-increasing dosages until the horse is immunized. Blood is then extracted; the serum is separated, purified and freeze-dried.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Dubinsky |first=I. |year=1996 |title=Rattlesnake bite in a patient with horse allergy and von&nbsp;Willebrand's disease: Case report |journal=Can. Fam. Physician |volume=42 |pages=2207–2211 |pmc=2146932 |pmid=8939322}}</ref> The [[cytotoxic]] effect of snake venom is being researched as a potential treatment for cancers.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Vyas, Vivek Kumar |author2=Brahmbahtt, Keyur |author3=Parmar, Ustav |date=February 2012 |title=Therapeutic potential of snake venom in cancer therapy: Current perspective |journal=Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=156–162 |doi=10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60042-8 |pmc=3627178 |pmid=23593597}}</ref>

'''Gila monsters''' produce compounds that reduce plasma glucose; one of these substances is now used in the anti-[[diabetes]] drug [[exenatide]] (Byetta), a [[glucagon-like peptide-1]] (GLP-1) receptor agonist like [[Semaglutide|semiglutide]] (Ozempic).<ref name=Casey2013>{{cite magazine |last=Casey |first=Constance |date=26 April 2013 |title=Don't call it a monster |magazine=Slate |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/04/gila_monster_revolting_creature_the_large_venomous_lizard_of_the_u_s_southwest.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-07-11 |title=Exendin-4: From lizard to laboratory...and beyond |url=https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/exendin-4-lizard-laboratory-and-beyond |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=National Institute on Aging |language=en}}</ref> Another toxin from Gila monster saliva has been studied for use as an anti-[[Alzheimer's]] drug.<ref>{{cite news |title=Alzheimer's research seeks out lizards |date=5 April 2002 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1912396.stm}}</ref>

[[Gecko|Geckos]] have also been used as '''folk medicine''', especially in China, without any evidence that they have any active compounds.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Wagner | first1=P. | last2=Dittmann | first2=A. | year=2014 | title=Medicinal use of ''Gekko gecko'' (Squamata: Gekkonidae) has an impact on agamid lizards | journal=Salamandra | volume=50 | issue=3 | pages=185–186 | url=http://www.salamandra-journal.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=375&Itemid=76 | access-date=2014-10-25 | archive-date=2014-10-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025183720/http://www.salamandra-journal.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=375&Itemid=76 | url-status=dead }}{{open access}}</ref> Turtles have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for thousands of years, with every part of the turtle believed to have medical benefits (again, without scientific evidence). Growing demand for '''turtle meat''' has placed pressure on vulnerable wild populations of turtles.<ref name=MongabayNews-2014-08-08>{{cite news |title=The threat of traditional medicine: China's boom may mean doom for turtles |date=2014-08-08 |website=Mongabay Environmental News |language=en-US |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2014/08/the-threat-of-traditional-medicine-chinas-boom-may-mean-doom-for-turtles/ |access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref>