system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How does anti-venom work?

Does it attack the venom somehow or neutralize it via protection of the affected area? Both? 

What is actually taking place on a cellular level?
gpt
Anti-venoms are just antibodies against a particular venom. So you are getting injected with antibodies that your body would have produced normally. Antibodies do their thing against the venom, binding to it and neutralizing it, but they don't reverse whats already been done. 

This is a form of artificially acquired passive immunity, similar to when the mother passes her antibodies to her fetus, but that is an example of naturally acquired passive immunity. Passive immunity doesn't last as long as a active immunity, because you aren't producing your own antibodies. An example of active immunity would be getting a weakened flu virus as a vaccine, where your body would produce antibodies against that weakened flu.