Leech Therapy in Ayurveda (With Photos), A Definitive Guide

Ayurveda a thousand year old science very well explains about the all-natural method to purify blood called “RAKTMOKSHANA”. “LEECH THERAPY” is one of them.

“Shankham chakram JALOKA” ……||

Lord Dhanvantari (doctor of lords) holds a leech in one of his right hands, so important are leeches in Ayurveda science. In Ayurveda a Leech is used to remove impure blood from the body or the infected organ so that the natural process of cell formation can take over and get rid of the root cause of the disease.

In Ayurveda science the “Leech Therapy” is described as a para-surgical treatment called as “Jalaukavacharana” (जलौकावचरण) through sucking blood from the body (रक्तमोक्षण). “Jalaukavacharana” treatment is described in the “Sushruta Samhita” (सुश्रुत संहिता), the main text of Ayurveda.

‘Sushruta who is the Father of Surgery’.

JALU – WATER
AAYU – LIFE
As they live and grow in water, they are called “JALAYUKA”.

There are over 600 species of leeches. Leeches have continued to be used in modern medicine primarily in reconstructive surgery, where a flap or replanted digit has developed venous congestion. The leeches drain the excess venous blood, increasing the chances of survival of the flap or replant.

Leeches suck blood because in the natural world it’s food for them. They survive by sucking blood from other insects, fish and other smaller animals. This property or natural tendency is used very creatively in Ayurveda to cure disease by eliminating its root cause from the body.

Many people are afraid to pursue this type of treatment because of fear of bite from the leech, but the immense benefits of this cannot be described in words. It is necessary to first consult a professional and qualified Ayurveda practitioner to identify the root cause of the disease you are trying to treat and if required follow the “Leech Therapy” treatment routine with the guidance of the doctor.

Not all types of leeches are medicinal though.

What’s the difference between leech and medicinal leech?

• Not each and every leech is medicinal or toxic either. The medicinal leech releases an anesthetic on attachment to the host to prevent the host to recognize the parasite is attached.
• The saliva of leeches contains Hirudin which is a prolong anticoagulant. This results in prolong bleeding once detached.
• Medicinal leeches are greenish in color and have blue lines on them

Are there any types of leeches?

In traditional Indian medicine, leeches are classified into poisonous and non-poisonous types depending on their toxicity.

There are two types of leeches:

Which are again classified into 12 types with each type bearing Sanskrit names.

1. Savisha (toxic): Toxic leeches can cause swelling, itching, fever, burning sensation, vomiting, intoxication or redness over the bitten site.
2. Nirvisha (not- toxic): Nonpoisonous leeches do not cause complications.
   Hirudin medicinalis are used for bloodletting. These leeches are dark in color & marked with 6 longitudinal stripes.

Savisha (toxic) leeches again have 6 types and Nirvisha (non-toxic) too.

In which diseases leeches are effective?

Leeches are useful in all medicinal diseases and specially for replant surgery.

• Blood vitiated with pitta dosha
• Psoriasis
• Poison
• Old or deep wounds
• Nail psoriasis
• Hemorrhoids
• Loss of skin sensation
• Diabetic ulcer
• Vitiligo
• Abscess
• Diseases of neck and eye
• Any kind of pain
• Varicose veins
• Children, old age, frightful, debilitated women and person with tender constitution
• All kinds of skin diseases
• Inflammation of the joints
• Arthritis / osteoarthritis
• Headache
• Tumors of abdomen (gulma)
• Knee effusion
• Vata rakta (gout)
• Scalp psoriasis
• Acne, pigmentation
• Sciatica, lumber spondylosis
• Chronic skin conditions like eczema
• Herpes
• Scurvy

In which condition leeches are not useful or contraindicated?

• Hemophilia
• Leukemia
• Anemia
• Hepatitis
• Pregnant women
• HIV positive
• Cancer wounds
• Bleeding piles
• Very thin people

How does an Ayurveda doctor decide when to use “Leech Therapy”?

• Raktmokshana (bloodletting) is one type of panchakarma in ayurveda. Leeches develop a taste for blood & they become experts in stealing it.
• Leeches have sucker on both ends of their body. They us them to inchworm around. The big sucker at back anchors the leech. Inside the front sucker is a muscular jaw bearing three razor-shape teeth. They use them to saw through the skin.
• Certain conditions like coagulation of blood, skin diseases like psoriasis or vitiligo, inflammation or any kind of pain & abscess are the ideal conditions to treat with leeches which help to improve blood flow in the area of tissue or a skin flap that has poor blood circulation.
• Leches are very useful for cleansing method. It purifies blood which is about one-centimeter square area. They attach to the targeted area and draw blood.
• That time they release the proteins and peptides that thin blood and prevent clotting. This improves circulation and tissue death.

Please describe in short the procedure of applying a leech on human body?

• Purva Karma (पूर्व कर्म):

Purva means first/ pre and karma means procedure / treatment (prior to the
treatment)

• • Clean the targeted area with simple water or mix with turmeric water, because leeches don’t like any kind of smell like oil, creams or even use of Dettol etc.
  • Before applying leech, soak them in turmeric water for some time to make sure they are clean and ready to suck the impure blood.

• Pradhan Karm (प्रधान कर्म) :

  Pradhan = main procedure

  • After Purva karma, apply leech on targeted area and then she starts to suck the impure blood from the organ. If leech can’t attach to the site easily then we need to make a prick on the targeted area or put a drop of blood on the site so, it can attach the site quickly.
  • It is better to cover Leech with wet cotton when they are sucking blood, because normally leeches live in water and it’s easier for them to move around fast this way.

• Paschat karma (पश्चात कर्म):

  Paschat means end of the procedure

• • After leeches finish sucking, they leave the area and are drawn off from the site.
  • Leeches leave “Y” shaped mark on the area. During the process of sucking, leeches secrete various biological enzymes in to the blood through its saliva.
  • Hirudin is the main biological component which acts as a anti-coagulant. After leeches leave the site bleeding is continuous from the site.
  • To stop this bleeding, we can use turmeric and put a pressure bandage with a sterile gauze on the wound.
  • Until next two days we advise patient to not to put water or any creams on the leech bite area and just apply ghee on that site.
  • Due to ghee application the leech bite area can heal fast without any other symptoms.

Does a leech have a brain?

We always say, leeches are very smart and they have their own brain, not the doctor’s brain. Leeches have 32 brains. Leeche’s internal structure is segmented into 32 parts and each segment has its own brain.

Almost all animals (except few) have brain. Leeches are a type of earth worm, segmented parasite.

Practically we can observe the smartness of leech in our regular practice while applying leech for a specific condition on specific part.

How much impure blood does a leech suck (in ml) in 1 hour?

Leeches generally suck for a duration of 45-60 minutes depending on blood impurities and patient’s condition. Leech can suck out 1 millilitre per minute of blood & the area of attachment can bleed for 1 – 10 hours. In 45 minutes, it sucks almost 10-15 ml of impure blood from the affected part.

How does a leech identify impure blood inside body even when it crawls on outer skin?

Do leeches only drink bad/impure blood?

Medicinal leeches suck impure blood & do purification of the blood. There are two types of leeches, Savisha (toxic) and Nirvisha (non-toxic). They are again differentiated into 12 types.

When does a leech stop sucking blood?

As we know leeches have their own brain and they can know very well Impurities of blood so, after leeches feel full in stomach with blood, it sheds off the bite site.

Generally, leeches suck almost 10-15 ml blood.

If a leech doesn’t find impure blood, does it mean it’s not present in patient’s body?

No, if leech doesn’t get attached to the affected site it doesn’t mean patient won’t have impure blood. It simply means there is some kind of smell like smell of oil, cream, moisturizer or shampoo because of which the leech is not willing to bite the affected part.

In that case prachhan karma (pricking) is important before applying the leech to affected organ.

Can we cure skin diseases using leech therapy?

Can a leech be used to cure following skin conditions?

Psoriasis

Yes for sure. Leeches are very useful for psoriasis as they suck all the impure blood from the skin cells and starts to purify the blood on targeted area. Effectively the skin gets to improve and starts to form new cells. Gives instant relief from itching, pain, numbness, burning and oozing from the site.

Acne

Yes it cures acne along with leech therapy. Blood purifier methods are also useful for acne treatment.

Vitiligo

Vitiligo which causes loss of skin color due to melanin. Leeches improve the blood circulation and reduces the blood viscosity. Improves skin color also along with internal medicine.

Dermatitis

Leeches improve the blood circulation and reduces the itching and inflammation of the skin.

Eczema

An itchy inflammation skin where leech is very helpful to start purification of blood and remove the dead skin.

Can we use Leech Therapy in the following conditions?

For hair growth

Yes, we have used so many leeches for hair growth, baldness, alopecia and also for dandruff. It improves scalp circulation, reduces dryness and improves conditions to form new hair follicle.

To cure Varicose Veins

To remove blood clots

Dermoid cyst

Keloid

Are there any alternative therapies to remove impure blood from body than using leeches?

Yes, Raktmokshana is a way to remove the impure blood from the body. There are two types of Raktmokshana in ayurveda

1. Leech therapy
2. Blood letting

Blood letting is used to draw the impure blood from the cubital area with the help of a needle. There are many other ways to draw out the blood from the body.

On what organs of body, leech therapy should not be used?

While applying leech we should be very careful. Generally, we won’t apply leech on TONGUE and INSIDE OF NOSE.

Can a leech be used internally through mouth or nose?

No, it’s better to be careful while doing leech on nose or mouth part. On these parts of the organs leech marks can heal very slowly and it can cause side effects too.

Is it advisable to forcefully remove leech while it is sucking impure blood?

No, generally its not advisable to remove leech forcefully while, its sucking blood. But when the leech is causing condition like irritation, pain or burning that time it has to be remove forcefully.

Are there any age restrictions on patients to perform leech therapy?

Leech therapy must be avoided for children under age 5 and adults over age of 70 years.

Can leech therapy be used on diabetic patients?

Yes, we can use leech for diabetic patients. leech therapy is very useful even if the patient is suffering from ulcers because of diabetes or any other side effects

Are there any side effects of this therapy?

• No If the leeches are applied in proper scientific ways, in proper conditions and with perfect time this should not cause any side effects.
• If any one of this happens then it can cause some side effects like –
  • Inflammation (swelling)
  • Redness of the leech site
  • Burning and itching sensation.

What happens to leeches after leech therapy?

Leeches produce an enzyme in their saliva called “Hirudin”. Hirudin is a powerful anticoagulant they produce this to prevent the host from forming a clot so, the leeches can feast on blood more easily.

After leech therapy, leeches are cleaned by vomiting out all the sucked blood and kept aside in a cleaned or turmeric water jar for next few hours. Then theses leeches are kept apart for next 8 days and are not applied to next person.

Can leeches go inside human body while sucking blood?

No, absolutely not. Leeches are applied on the surface of the skin which generally covers the 1 -2 sq.cm of area.

How long does a leech bite take to heal?

Leech leaves a mark like ‘Y’ shaped on the sucked part which can heal easily within 3 -4 days. With diabetic patients it can take some time.

Leech bite generally heals within 2-3 days. We advise to use ghee to heal it quickly without mark.

Can leech bite cause infection?

A leech bite rarely causes infection. However this could happen if the leeches are toxic or if they are already used on another person. Leeches are sanitized before attaching to the patient and are used only once.

What will happen if the Leech itself is carrying an infection in its body?

Your healthcare provider will never use infectious or toxic leech, if by mistake this could happen or if after using the leech her vomiting (cleaning of leech) has not done properly then, it can carry infectious blood in it.

Toxic or used leech can transfer the infection to another person or it causes inflammation, redness, itching, burning sensation on the site.

Can the same leech be used on multiple patients?

Generally no, if we use a leech for one person then for the next person a completely new and sanitized leech must be used.

If you want to use same leech for new person it should be used after 8 days with proper cleaning of leech. Before using the same leech for new person, it should be cleaned with turmeric and have to be soaked in turmeric water for at least 10 min. By this procedure, it could not cause any infection.

How should be a leech be cleaned? Does she vomit out everything?

After leech therapy is done, leeches are cleaned with turmeric or salt which is a method of vomiting out all the toxic blood which it sucks.

Leeches vomit out all the toxic blood from the body with the help of turmeric. After this procedure they are preserved in fresh water for 8 days and not use on another patient.

This video shows how to clean a leech. The leech vomits all the blood it has sucked when it is dipped in turmeric powder.

For how many days should we must wait before a leech can be used again?

After leech therapy we need to wait for almost 7-9 days to use the leech again. This is natural healing method for leech. After 7 days leech heals naturally and we can use it again.

How is a leech stored in the dispensary?

Generally, leeches in natural world are leaving in mud area but now a days in dispensary we can store leeches in a normal water. However the water in which leeches are stored must be replaced every 2-3 days

What type of precautions must be taken before starting “Leech Therapy”?

• Leeches should be cleaned and toxins free.
• The area where we want to apply leech should be sanitized and cleaned.
• The person and the site of leech therapy should be ideal.
• After leech therapy the leech bite site should be healed properly and leech should be cleaned by vomiting out all toxic blood.
• Never perform leech therapy on your own. You need a medical adviser to do leech therapy.

Written By…