2019, Vol. 7, Issue 3, Part A

author(s)
Nafisa Rounak Rongon, Nusrat Kamal, Sharmin Akter, Adity Hossain, Zahura Binte Hoque and Mohammed Rahmatullah

abstract
Leeches have been used in traditional medicinal practices from ancient times and is making a comeback in modern medicine in recent days. The objective of this study was to document the therapeutic practices of a folk herbalist (FH) in Tang ail district, Bangladesh who used a combination of leeches and plant-derived oil mainly to treat various types of pain. However, interestingly, leeches were not used by the FH for sucking blood; rather, leeches were fried or decomposed in olive or coconut oil and the oil used for treatment of various types of pain and skin disorders. This type of particular use of leeches is novel and to our knowledge not previously reported from Bangladesh. The practice also suggests that leeches might possess chemical substance(s) in their body, which can assuage pain and skin infections.