Editing Mithridatism (section)

==In practice==
Mithridatism is not effective against all types of poison. Immunity is generally only possible with biologically complex types which the immune system can respond to. Depending on the toxin, the practice can lead to the lethal accumulation of a poison in the body. Results depend on how each poison is processed by the body, i.e. on how the toxic compound is metabolized or passed out of the body.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tsatsakis, A. M., Vassilopoulou, L., Kovatsi, L., Tsitsimoikou, C., Karamanou, M., Leon, G., Liesivuori, J., Hayes, A. W., Spandidos, D. A. |date=2018 |title=The dose response principle from philosophy to modern toxicology: The impact of ancient philosophy and medicine in modern toxicology science. |journal=Toxicology Reports |volume=5 |pages=1107–1113 |doi=10.1016/j.toxrep.2018.10.001 |pmid=30450285 |pmc=6226566 }}</ref> 

However, in some cases, it is possible to build up a metabolic tolerance against specific non-biological poisons. This involves conditioning the liver to produce more of the particular enzymes that metabolize these poisons. For example, heavy drinkers develop a tolerance to the effects of alcohol.<ref name=NIAAA>{{cite web |title=Alcohol and Tolerance |url=https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa28.htm |publisher=National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism |date=Apr 1995}}</ref> However, metabolic tolerance can also lead to accumulation of the less toxic metabolized compound which can slowly damage the liver. With alcohol this generally leads to conditions such as alcoholic fatty liver disease.<ref name=USNLM>{{cite web |title=Fatty Liver Disease |url=https://medlineplus.gov/fattyliverdisease.html |publisher=US National Library of Medicine}}</ref>

Metabolic tolerance is not effective on all types of non-biological poisons. Exposure to certain toxic substances, such as hydrofluoric acid and [[Toxic heavy metal|heavy metals]], is either lethal or has little to no effect. A minor exception is [[cyanide]], which can be metabolized by the liver. The enzyme [[rhodanese]] converts the cyanide into the much less toxic [[thiocyanate]].<ref name=NYDoH>{{cite web |title=The Facts About Cyanides |date=Apr 2006 |url=https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/cyanide_general.htm |publisher=New York State: Department of Health}}</ref> This process allows humans to ingest small amounts of cyanide in food like apple seeds and survive small amounts of cyanide gas from fires and cigarettes. However, one cannot effectively condition the liver against cyanide, unlike alcohol. Relatively larger amounts of cyanide are still highly lethal because, while the body can produce more rhodanese, the process also requires large amounts of sulfur-containing substrates.<ref name="WHO">{{cite web |date=2009 |title=Cyanide in Drinking-water |url=https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wash-documents/wash-chemicals/cyanide-background.pdf?sfvrsn=29c5b9f4_4 |publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref>