Mine's a Snakebite: Heilongjiang woman bitten by 'dead' snake in wine jar
Staff Reporter 2013-09-11 08:56
Three jars of snake wine. (Photo/CFP)
A woman in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province was shocked to find that a snake preserved in wine for three months was alive and well enough to bite her as she tried to refill the jar, reports the local news website Dongbei.
In traditional Chinese medicine it is believed that infusing whole snakes in alcohol and drinking the mixture can help improve health and virility.
The woman, surnamed Liu, was given the jar three months ago by a friend and was told it contained a pickled venomous snake. Liu drank a glass of the wine every day.
As Liu was adding more alcohol to the jar on Sept. 3, she was using chopsticks to adjust the snake's position when it suddenly sprang to life and bit her.
A family member heard her screams and beat the snake to death.
"The wine has yet to have any effect on my health, but I was sent to the hospital due to what came out of it," Liu said.
An expert said the snake may have been in a state of hibernation and was thus able to survive in the jar for three months, apparently lifeless.
