In South Asia, a deadly snake provokes fear in rice farmers who are prone to stumble upon these creatures at nightfall. The snake, called the Russell’s Viper, is considered one of the most venomous snakes in the world—one bite can cause paralysis, or worse, death.

And as this gif shared by Reddit user JonLuca in the Interesting As Fuck community shows us, the snake’s venom can coagulate your blood.

So how it is it able to turn your blood, into, well, pudding?

Russell’s viper venom is a hemotoxin, according to researchers at the University of New Mexico. Hemotoxin proteins induce coagulation, which results in a sudden drop of blood pressure or stroke. As you would have guessed, the bite is excruciating—the pain can last for hours and hours, since hemotoxins induce death at a much slower pace than neurotoxins.

While this all may seem terrifying at first, it turns out that snake venom might actually be able to save lives. Hear me out: Researchers at Rice University are studying how viper venom may be used to heal patients who bleed out quickly during surgeries. Normally, doctors apply pressure or other adhesives to stop blood, but these methods are not the best.

The researchers made a hydrogel from the venom of the South American pit viper, which, like the venom of the Russell’s Viper, is a coagulant.

According to a Rice University press release:

The hydrogel called SB50 incorporates batroxobin, a venom produced by two species of South American pit viper. It can be injected as a liquid and quickly turns into a gel that conforms to the site of a wound, keeping it closed, and promotes clotting within seconds.

“It’s interesting that you can take something so deadly and turn it into something that has the potential to save lives,” said Rice University chemist Jeffrey Hartgerink.