Tim Friede, an unemployed factory worker and snake enthusiast, is a strong believer in the saying “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”. In an attempt to build immunity to venoms and poisons, he has been injecting himself with diluted venom proteins from some of the deadliest snakes on Earth. He claims that as much as 100 snakes have sank their poisonous fangs into his flesh, including a black mamba which can kill a person in under 20 minutes.

His experiments aim to prove that humans can become immune to poisonous substances by gradually exposing the body to snake venom. Each time he injects the venom, his body produces more and more antibodies to eliminate the harmful substance. By doing this, he hopes to generate the necessary research needed to create a stronger and more efficient antivenin. “I hope through developing my own resistance to poison some solid groundwork can be laid to build a vaccine for the 125,000 people that die from snakebite every year,” Tim explains. So far he’s proven that his body can indeed withstand toxic quantities of snake venom. Numerous pictures and videos show him being bitten by the lethal serpents with him surviving every time. His trials do have some side effects including life-threatening allergic reactions that cause the bitten hand to swell up and deep puncture marks left by the sharp fangs.

Photo: Tim Friede

Back in 2001,Friede almost died after two cobras bit him leaving him paralyzed and swollen for several hours. “I wanted to see if I could take two big hits and survive,” he stated then. Six antivenin vials were necessary to save him, substantially less than other people would require. A single cobra can kill a man in less than 15 minutes and Friede surviving two bites is proof that his efforts to immunize himself have not been in vain. He will thus continue his work as a “broke un-(degreed) scientist”, as he puts it, confident that he will one day become completely immune to the venom. Moreover, despite still experiencing some side effects, he has noticed his immune system has gotten stronger since he began regularly injecting and he gives credit to his beloved snakes.

Photo: YouTube video caption

“I hope through developing my own resistance to poison some solid groundwork can be laid to build a vaccine for the 125,000 people that die from snakebite every year,” the 45-year-old daredevil says. He currently keeps dozens of poisonous snakes in the basement of his Milwaukee home and is constantly putting his life on the line in the hopes that his efforts will one day make a real difference for snakebite victims all around the world.

As bizarre as Tim Friede’s actions may seem, he is not the only one who believes constantly exposing his body to deadly toxins will eventually make him immune. Steve Ludwin is another so-called “immunizer” who injects himself with venom. He also was close to losing his life on more than one occasion.

Sources: Daily Mail, Sun Journal