What are the therapeutic applications and potential benefits of leech therapy in medical treatment?

Leech therapy has been around for a very long time. In this therapy, leeches pierce a person’s skin with their teeth and insert anticoagulants through their saliva. They are then allowed to extract blood for 20 to 45 minutes at a time. This equates to a relatively small amount of blood: up to 15 milliliters per leech.

In 2004, the FDA approved medical leeches as a medical device in plastic and reconstructive surgery. In the saliva of leeches, there are over 100 bioactive substances with a wide range of effects.

Benefits

• Anti-coagulating effect

• Blood-thinning effect

• Vasodilating effect (widening blood vessels)

• Anesthetic effect

• Antibiotic effect

Conditions people use leech therapy for

• Venous congestion

• Cardiovascular problems

• Arthritis

• High blood pressure

• Hemorrhoids

• Blood clots

• Skin diseases

• In stroke patients and heart attack patients, leeches help reduce the clotting mechanism