Before we discuss whether lizards in Taiwan are poisonous like snakes, let's look at the known types of poisonous lizards in the world. Aside from the Heloderma lizards of North and Latin Americas, the majority of lizards are non-venomous. There are no Helodermas among the indigenous species in Taiwan ; therefore none of the lizards in Taiwan is venomous.

In the previous article about medicinal use of lizards, it was mentioned that venom from the Heloderma can be used to lower blood pressure and treatment of diabetes and some cancers. Although Helodermas are indeed venomous, their potency is nowhere near snake venom. An interesting example is the Komodo Dragons of Indonesia: their saliva contains bacteria that could cause serious putrefaction of wounds. However, their saliva is not venomous per se ; the damage is caused by bacterial infection, not poison. Nevertheless, numerous records of mortality caused by the bites of a Komodo Dragon necessitate research into the lethality of its saliva.