The efficacy and function of Chinese medicine leeches

Leeches are an aquatic animal and a traditional Chinese medicine. They are also called leeches. They usually live in lakes, ponds, and paddy fields and are usually wild. In clinical practice, it has a wide range of therapeutic applications and is often used to treat bruises and injuries. Leeches can also be used to treat internal blood stasis. Of course, some issues should be paid attention to during treatment. Its medicinal power is relatively strong, so you must understand the contraindications of its use.

Clinical Application:

1. For injuries caused by falls, such as internal injuries, contusions, swelling, and blood stasis, you can grind leeches into powder, or calcine (to preserve its nature) into powder, and then add Panax notoginseng powder, musk, etc., and take it with wine or warm water, or soak it in wine and take it orally.

2. For leukemia and abdominal mass, it is tried in anticancer agents. It is usually made into pills, powders and tablets for oral administration with other anticancer Chinese herbal medicines. For example, it is made into leech and seaweed powder with seaweed to treat esophageal cancer, but the efficacy needs further observation.

Usage Notes:

Leeches are very potent and are only suitable for treating symptoms of excess pathogenic factors. They should not be consumed by people with the following conditions:

1. Those with weak constitution and soft pulse;

2. Pregnant women;

3. Those with bleeding tendency;

4. Patients with anemia (anemia is often aggravated after taking leeches). In addition, when taking leeches, it is generally necessary to take medicine to nourish qi and blood to prevent harm to the body.

Dosage:

Do not take too much. Generally, 1.8 to 4.5 g is used in decoctions, and up to 6 to 9 g is used for cancer treatment. 0.3 to 0.6 g is used in powders, and the maximum amount is 1.5 to 2.4 g, which is best ground into powder and put into capsules for oral administration, because leeches have an unpleasant smell, which is even worse when used in decoctions. Prescription example: Leech and seaweed powder: 6g leech, 30g seaweed, grind into fine powder, take 6g each time, drink with rice wine.

Pharmacological action:

Break up blood and remove blood stasis. The so-called breaking up of blood means that the accumulated blood or blood stasis can be dispersed and absorbed into the blood circulation or discharged through defecation. From the perspective of modern medicine, its mechanism of action seems to be to anti-coagulate blood, dilate blood vessels, improve blood circulation and promote absorption.

Fresh leeches definitely have these effects because hirudin can delay or hinder blood coagulation. Even after boiling, hirudin can still maintain its coagulation effect; and the histamine-like substances in the secretions have the effect of dilating blood vessels.

As for whether leeches still have the effects of anticoagulation and vasodilation after being processed into medicinal materials? How strong is the effect? What are the active ingredients? These questions still need further experimental research and clinical observation to answer.

Key Ingredients:

Fresh products contain hirudin, which is a secretion from the glands on the leech's head and is a polypeptide. However, hirudin has been destroyed in the dried herbal medicine. In addition, its secretions contain a histamine-like substance. It also contains heparin and antithrombin.