Derived from the name of an ancient King of Pontus, what is the practice of Mithridatism?
Mithridatism Mithridatism Mithridatism is the practice of protecting oneself against a poison by gradually self-administering non-lethal amounts. The word is derived from Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus, who so feared being poisoned that he regularly ingested small doses, aiming to develop immunity. Mithridates VI's father, Mithridates V, was assassinated by poisoning, said to be at his mother's orders. After this, Mithridates VI's mother held regency over Pontus until a male heir came of age. Mithridates was in competition with his brother for the throne and his mother began to favor his brother. Supposedly, during his youth, he began to suspect
Mithridatism and improve the formula. In keeping with most medical practices of his era, Mithridates' anti-poison routines included a religious component, supervised by the "Agari"; a group of Scythian shamans derived from Indian Aghoris who never left him. It has been suggested that Russian mystic Rasputin's survival of a poisoning attempt was due to mithridatism, but this has not been proven. Indian epics talk about this practice too. It has been said that, during the rule of the king Chandragupta Maurya (320–298 BC), there was a practice of selecting beautiful girls and administering poison in small amounts until they grew up,