Medicinal value of leeches

When it comes to leeches, I believe many people are familiar with them. Leeches, also known as leeches, mainly grow in inland freshwater bodies. They are generally used to treat diseases and symptoms such as stroke, high blood pressure, and trauma, and the effects are quite significant. It can be seen that leeches are animals with high medicinal value. So what are the medicinal values ​​of leeches?

The medicinal value of leeches is quite high because they contain high levels of protein and other ingredients, which have a good effect on promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and dysmenorrhea. Below I will give you a detailed introduction to the medicinal value of leeches for your study and reference.

Leeches, commonly known as leeches, grow and reproduce in inland freshwater areas. They are traditional Chinese special medicinal aquatic animals. Their dried products are used as traditional Chinese medicine after processing. They have the effects of treating stroke, hypertension, clearing blood stasis, amenorrhea, and traumatic injuries. In recent years, it has been discovered that leech preparations are particularly effective in preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and fighting cancer. In the past, leeches were mainly caught naturally. However, due to the abuse of pesticides and fertilizers in recent years, as well as the pollution of the environment by the "three wastes" of industry and agriculture, wild natural resources have been sharply reduced. With the in-depth development of the medicinal value of leeches, its market demand potential is huge. Around 1995, natural seedlings were captured in southern China and artificial breeding was successful for the first time. The northern region has not been breeding due to seedling and technical reasons.

Medicinal value of leeches

collect and process

Catch in summer and autumn. After catching them, they are cleaned, suffocated with lime or wine, and then dried in the sun or by baking. Japanese medical leeches are usually strung with thread through the middle of their bodies and hung up to dry; brown leeches are strung with thread and one end of their bodies is stretched to form a narrow strip. Due to the different appearances after processing, the dried product of Japanese medicinal leech is called "leech", the dried product of wide-bodied golden line leech is called "wide leech", and the dried product of brown leech is called "long leech".

1. Broad leech: The peak production period is summer and autumn. Those produced in lakes are large, while those produced in paddy fields are small. After being fished out, they are placed in the sun to dry, or placed in a pot to dry. 2. Long leeches: The harvesting method is the same as above, except that after taking them out, they are strung together with a thread, one end of the body is stretched out, and hung in the sun to dry. 3. Leeches: The harvesting period is the same as that of leeches. After taking them out, string them with thread, usually from the middle of the body, and keep them in the sun to dry.

Note: The real medicinal leeches are small, long and yellow, and easily broken when picked. Do not mistakenly use mud leeches with round heads and wide bodies. Taking them will cause smoke to appear in the eyes and gradually cause them to wither and become damaged. Use dried leeches, boil them with lard until they turn black, and grind them into very fine powder. If moxibustion does not penetrate the body even though it is ground into powder, it can still be alive after years of exposure to water, and can even revive a person's stomach. Before using it, it must be boiled black in advance, and a small amount must be placed in water. It can only be used if it does not survive within seven days.

Hirudin is a low molecular weight (7000) polypeptide composed of 65 amino acids, with high contents of glutamine and asparagine and low isoelectric point (3.8-4.0), and is stable for a long time at room temperature. Hirudin is the most effective natural anticoagulant known. It is more effective than heparin and has the effects of anti-coagulation and dissolving blood clots, which is what Chinese medicine calls the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Therefore, it shows great superiority and broad prospects in the treatment of diseases such as septic shock, atherosclerosis, cerebral vascular infarction, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, ophthalmology and various antithrombin-deficient diseases.

Leeches - Pharmacokinetics

1. The anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects of hirudin depend on its concentration in the blood. The method for determining its blood concentration is mainly to determine the amount of thrombin remaining after it reacts with excess thrombin by measuring the blood coagulation time or using the substrate color development method. It can also be measured by radioactive labeling and immunoassay. 2. When hirudin is injected intravenously into dogs, rabbits and rats, its elimination rate is quite fast, with an elimination half-life of about 1 hour. Hirudin is distributed in the extracellular space and is excreted in an active form through glomerular filtration. The results of HPLC determination, amino acid composition and sequence analysis all showed that the injected hirudin was excreted through the kidneys in an unchanged form and was not metabolized or bound to the body. 3. The animal experimental results are consistent with the clinical pharmacology experimental results of humans, and conform to the two-compartment model equation after intravenous injection.

【Pharmacological action】

Leeches themselves have high medicinal value. After being dried and used as medicine, they contain hirudin and rich protein, and have the effects of promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, and regulating menstruation. It is often used to treat symptoms such as amenorrhea, abdominal pain due to blood stasis, and trauma.

1. Anticoagulant effect: Hirudin is a thrombin inhibitor, and each milligram of hirudin contains 10 to 400 antithrombin units of activity. Hirudin has a preventive effect on thrombosis in rats caused by bacterial endotoxins and can reduce the mortality rate of rats. Hirudin can also enhance the contractility of isolated frog hearts caused by antithrombin. 2. Improve microcirculation: Intravenous injection of leech injection solution 2g/kg can promote the absorption of hematoma in experimental rabbits with acute cerebral hemorrhage, reduce inflammatory response and edema around brain tissue, relieve increased intracranial pressure, improve local circulation, and facilitate the recovery of neurological function; it also promotes the absorption of experimental hematoma in the rabbit ear. 3. Anti-early pregnancy effect: 40% leech decoction 2.5-3.0g/kg subcutaneous injection for 2 consecutive days can terminate pregnancy in mice at all stages, including implantation and early, middle and late stages, but it is most effective for early pregnancy. If exogenous progesterone is injected at the same time as leeches, it can counteract the anti-early pregnancy effect of leeches.

Main ingredients: mainly protein. It also contains various trace elements such as iron, manganese and zinc. Fresh leech saliva contains an anticoagulant substance called hirudin, which is a polypeptide. Since there is no tryptophan and arginine in its molecular composition, it has an anticoagulant effect. But hirudin has been destroyed in the dried medicinal materials. Leech saliva also secretes histamine-like substances, heparin and antithromboxane, which have a synergistic effect with hirudin.

Pharmacology

1. Effect on blood: Hirudin can prevent the effect of thrombin on fibrin and hinder blood coagulation. Hirudin is not destroyed by heat or ethanol. Leeches can also secrete a histamine-like substance, which can dilate capillaries and increase bleeding. The effect of leech alcohol extract in inhibiting blood coagulation is stronger than that of horseflies, insects, and peach kernels, and the effect of leech alcohol preparations is stronger than that of water preparations. 2. Effect on the cardiovascular system: Reports indicate that leeches can increase myocardial nutritive blood flow to a certain extent and have a protective effect on tissue ischemia and hypoxia. Hirudin can counteract the coronary artery spasm in rabbits caused by vasopressin and has a therapeutic effect of inhibiting myocardial ischemia. Leeches can significantly reduce aortic atherosclerotic plaques, cause collagen fiber proliferation within the plaques, and reduce cholesterol crystals. This suggests that leeches have potential application value in preventing and treating atherosclerosis. 3. Effect on pregnancy: Experiments have shown that leeches can terminate pregnancy in mice at all stages (including implantation and early, middle and late stages of pregnancy). Different routes of administration have a good effect on terminating early pregnancy. If exogenous progesterone is injected at the same time as leeches, premature birth can be prevented. Leeches have an inhibitory effect on decidual lesions. 4. Other effects: Leeches have a significant effect on lowering cholesterol and triglycerides in rabbits with experimental hyperlipidemia. Hirudin has an inhibitory effect on tumor cells and has a certain inhibitory effect on the growth of liver cancer in mice. Because leeches have a high anticoagulant effect, they are beneficial for anticancer drugs and immune active cells to penetrate into cancer tissues and kill cancer cells.

After reading the detailed answer to the question above about the medicinal value of leeches, I believe that you all have a general understanding of leeches. The medicinal value of leeches is indeed quite high. They can effectively inhibit blood coagulation, promote blood circulation, etc. They also have a good protective effect on cardiovascular system and can even prevent premature birth. But it is a medicine after all, so it is best to consult a doctor in advance before taking it, so that it will be safer to take.