Steve Ludwin has been injecting himself with snake venom for the past 28 years

Some people pop vitamin pills to re-energise, others drink coffee.

But Steve Ludwin prefers snake venom - not a brand of energy drink but actual snake venom, which he's been injecting into himself a few times a week for the past 28 years.

Ludwin, 50, originally from California, says he has not suffered from cold or flu for 13 years and is convinced it's down to his unorthodox medication.

And he claims there are other health benefits too.

'I play tennis every week with a friend who’s a lot younger. About an hour before, I inject cobra and rattlesnake venom and feel like a 23-year-old again.

'I don’t deny it’s cheating, but when you’re 50, having such energy can feel quite surreal,' he told the Guardian.

Not only does he say it makes him feel younger and fitter, he has also built up a considerable immunity to snake bites as a result and is currently working with scientists from the University of Copenhagen to produce new anti-venoms - using his own antibodies.

However, he does admit that the injections do leave him with temporary swelling and bruising, along with a 'burning sensation, like being stung by a hundred hornets' for a few minutes, according to Fox News.

Growing up in Connecticut, Ludwin was always fascinated by the reptiles, sketching his first one at the age of three.

Walking home from school one day, at the age of six, he was bitten by a non-venomous garter snake, which left him in agony.

Ludwin, 50, originally from California, says he has not suffered from cold or flu for 13 years and is convinced it's down to his unorthodox medication. He also says it makes him feel younger and fitter

The fascination stuck and his parents gave him a boa constrictor as a pet when he was ten.

His father, a test pilot, then took him to the Miami Serpentarium where he met Bill Haast, who milked rattlesnakes and cobras.

Haast, who died at the age of 100, was renowned for injecting himself with venom, believing his blood could be used to treat snakebite victims, and claimed never to have been ill in his life.

I stupidly injected a cocktail made with venom from my rattlesnake, eyelash viper and green tree viper

Meeting him would form a lasting memory in young Ludwin's mind.

Ludwin, who moved to London in 1987, is now also a master in the art of snake milking.

His technique involves putting clingfilm over a shot glass and getting the snake to release its venom at just the right moment so it will squirt into the receptacle.

Ludwin, who sings in a punk rock band and has written with rock groups Ash, Placebo, and also with Slash, has even gargled with venom. Not surprisingly, he also owns snakes: 18 of them.

Occasionally, his experimentation has led to near-fatal consequences.

One incident in particular, from eight years ago, resonates with him.

'I stupidly injected a cocktail made with venom from my rattlesnake, eyelash viper and green tree viper. I did it as part of a health experiment, but it went horribly wrong.

'It was a very foolish thing to do. I put the needle into my left wrist, and as soon as the venom went in, I knew it was game over. My hand swelled up like a baseball glove and my arm filled with fluid all the way up to my shoulder,' he told the Guardian.

He spent three days in intensive care and was told he may have to have his arm amputated but he made a remarkable recovery.

Ludwin's technique for milking snakes involves putting clingfilm over a shot glass and getting the snake to release its venom at just the right moment so it will squirt into the receptacle

But what of Ludwin's claims of feeling younger and fitter after his now twice-weekly shots: is it just snake oil or does it have genuine therapeutic merits?

There is evidence that snake venom could be the key to various medical breakthroughs, including dementia.

A study in March revealed a molecule in snake venom could help in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

The venom helps break down amyloid plaques in the brain that are synonymous with Alzheimer’s, according to scientists from Monash University in Melbourne.

The molecule in question activates enzymes in the brain that help rid it of this toxic protein.

The discovery could lead to new therapies to stop early onset Alzheimer’s disease from progressing, experts said.