Will leeches burrow into the human body? The answer is here
Leeches are cold-blooded annelids that can grow and reproduce in both northern and southern China. They live in freshwater reservoirs, ditches, paddy fields and lakes and marshes, feeding on the blood or body fluids of animals. Their dried products, after being steeped, are used in traditional Chinese medicine and have effects such as treating stroke, high blood pressure, clearing blood stasis, amenorrhea and traumatic injuries. Let us now take a look at whether leeches will burrow into the human body!
Will leeches burrow into the human body?
Leeches will not burrow into the flesh, because leeches are animals that breathe oxygen, and they would suffocate and die after entering the body. Their heads can burrow part of the way into the flesh, relying on enzymes in their saliva to inhibit blood coagulation in humans or other animals, thereby smoothly absorbing the blood of humans or animals. However, smaller leeches can sometimes burrow into the vagina and cause vaginal bleeding, and can also invade the urethra and cause painful urination or blood in the urine. When washing the face, swimming or drinking unboiled water in a pond, they can burrow into the nasal cavity, causing intermittent nasal congestion, nosebleeds, nasal pain, runny nose and a wriggling sensation inside the nose.
What are leeches most afraid of?
Leeches are soft-bodied animals without skin protection. Because skin is an animal's first protective barrier and leeches have no skin, they are extremely sensitive to salt. After salt is sprinkled on them, the salt forms a high-concentration salt solution with their body fluids, and the high-concentration salt solution causes them to contract stressfully, prompting their internal body fluids to seep out, leading to dehydration and death. You can also drip or sprinkle cooling oil, tobacco water (that is, water soaked with cigarettes), table salt (table salt is extremely important in outdoor activities, and it is best to carry a small packet with you wherever you go), strong vinegar, alcohol (or baijiu) or chili powder, lime, etc. onto the worm's body, making it relax its suckers and drop off on its own.
What varieties of leeches are there?
1. Whitmania pigra: Whitmania pigra is currently the main species raised in China. It mainly sucks animal blood, and also feeds on plankton and the larvae of mollusks in the water. Its main features are a large body, fast growth, a high reproduction rate and easy harvesting.
2. Whitmania acranulata: Whitmania acranulata has one yellow longitudinal band on each side of its body, a grayish-yellow ventral surface, and one band formed by clustered dark brown spots along each lateral edge. It feeds on aquatic earthworms and insect larvae. Its underdeveloped jaws can pierce the skin but cannot suck blood.
3. Hirudo nipponia: Hirudo nipponia has a narrow and long body, slightly cylindrical in shape and slightly flattened dorsoventrally. It mainly sucks the blood of humans and livestock, and in nature feeds mainly on the blood of fish and other animals. It is not easy to raise artificially on a large scale. In medicine it is mostly used as a live specimen and is not used to process medicines.
4. Whitmania laevis: Whitmania laevis has a body slightly spindle-shaped, gradually tapering toward the front, with the oral opening in front of its posterior margin. Its body is relatively small. It often feeds on snails (river snails, pond snails) and insect larvae, etc. Its reproductive output is small and its yield is low, so it is not suitable for artificial large-scale breeding.
5. Poecilobdella viridis: The living habits and medicinal functions of Poecilobdella viridis are similar to those of Whitmania pigra, and it has a large body, high yield and is easy to raise, so Poecilobdella viridis can also serve as an excellent variety for artificial breeding and be raised on a large scale.