'Blood sucking' leeches cure migraine, gout and skin allergies

Doctor Tatijana Gambar has been running a "leech clinic" for the past three years in Porec, west Croatia. The clinic receives and treats patients with various ailments such as gout, skin allergies and migraine.

Doctor Tatijana Gambar has been running a 'leech clinic' for the past three years in Porec, west Croatia.

Leeches produce an enzyme in their saliva called hirudin. Hirudin is a powerful anticoagulant. They produce it to prevent their host from forming a clot so that they can feast on blood more easily.

When you apply a leech, the hirudin acts locally at the bite site to allow continued bleeding for 2-3 hours after the leech is removed.

While attached, the leech actively removes some of the built up blood which eases the pressure within the tissue. After the leech is removed, the built up venous blood will continue to drain from the site where the leech was attached, which is therapeutic for the tissue.