Leech Therapy — leech

Guinea pigs:Bite healthy from the leechLeeches take some getting used to - but healthy, especially their saliva, which they release into the body when they are sucked. It contains over 30 substances that are said to help with joint pain, boils or tendonitis. The leech has a healing effect because of its saliva, which it injects into the patient's body while biting: This contains more than 30 different substances that have a healing effect. Some of them have been researched, such as hirudin, which can also be produced synthetically and prevents blood clotting, or histamine, which dilates the vessels. Other...

The General Hospital (AKH) in Vienna not only focuses on the latest medical treatment options. Leeches, like those from antiquity, are used for healing purposes - about 50 times a year.The medical leech is not only the best-known representative of the leeches, but also a medical device and is used as such at the AKH. It is kept in a separate chamber in the AKH institutional pharmacy. There, Alexander Gregor, the senior pharmaceutical assistant, takes care of the animals that need a lot of care: “The leeches are happy about bathing. Then you become mobile. " The saliva of the...