A Critical Review of Hirudo medicinalis and Historical Aspects of Leech Therapy

Abstract

Both the practice of bloodletting and the use of Hirduo medicinalis for medicinal
purposes have roots in ancient Egypt and the dawn of civilization. The years have seen
fluctuations in their popularity. Hirudo medicinalis, often known as medicinal leeches, are used
therapeutically in hiruditherapy (HT), a traditional method of treating inflammatory illnesses
and pain. Leeches therapy is currently receiving more attention in the supplementary medicine
community. These are a class of segmented invertebrates that are employed by medical
professionals in phlebotomy to treat a variety of illnesses. They are well recognized for being
sanguinivorous blood feeders. Here, the affected areas are connected to cultured leeches, which
bite without pain at first before draining blood.
Over the past few years, the four main German dealers have seen a steady growth in
sales, which has resulted in an estimated 70,000 treatments (about 350,000 leeches sold per
year, four to five of which are used for each treatment) that takes place in Germany. The
majority of these therapeutic advantages are attributed to the saliva's numerous bioactive
chemicals, including hyaluronidase, hirudin, calin, destabilase, apyrase, glin, and many others,
rather than the blood that was drawn during the biting.
Reducing pain is the main objective of treatment for localized pain syndromes, especially
for disorders involving the knee, such as osteoarthritis. Heart difficulties, varicose veins,
hemorrhoids, gastrointestinal disorders, dermatitis, gynecological abnormalities, reconstructive
surgery, and trauma situations such as the reattachment of amputated fingers, toes, and ears are
among the ailments for which it is used. In order to keep blood flowing through clogged skin
flaps, plastic surgery is also part of it. Recently, new applications for it have been found in the
treatment of diabetes, hypersensitivity illnesses like asthma, cancer, and infertility in both men
and women. Researchers are continuing to extract and synthesize a growing number of novel
salivary chemicals for use in clinical and private practice due to the growing therapeutic
potential of HT. Thus, by addressing two primary topics—a critical evaluation of Hirudo
medicinalis and leech therapy—this review serves as an experiment to investigate the complex
leech-man interaction.