Shuizhi (Chinese Medicinal Leech) Pharmacological Review
Comprehensive review of ~100 chemical constituents + bioactivities of Chinese medicinal leech (Shuizhi) — Liu 2025 covering anticoagulant, antithrombotic, antiatherosclerotic, anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory activities.
Mechanistic Evidence Box
Preclinical / mechanistic- Page type
- Compound profile
- Evidence type
- Comprehensive review of ~100 chemical constituents + bioactivities of Chinese medicinal leech (Shuizhi) — Liu 2025 covering anticoagulant, antithrombotic, antiatherosclerotic, anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory activities.
- Evidence level
- Expert consensus
- Drug vs leech
- Whole medicinal leech
- Safety domains
- Bleeding · Antibiotic stewardship
Clinical translation limit
Shuizhi is a TCM material covered under Chinese regulatory frameworks (NMPA); its safety / efficacy claims outside that regulatory context, and outside the FDA-cleared K040187 venous-congestion-flap-salvage indication, are not established by FDA.
Molecular Profile
- Category
- Other
- Evidence tier
- Preclinical
- Source species
- Hirudo nipponia / Whitmania pigra (Shuizhi)
- Discovered
- 2025 · Liu J et al.
Biological Targets
- → coagulation cascade; thrombus; atherosclerotic plaque; fibrotic tissue; inflammatory cytokines
Key Citations
- Liu J et al. (2025), J Ethnopharmacol · PMID 40998138
External Resources
Related Other Compounds
Granulin (leech-derived)
Growth factor and wound-healing modulator — promotes angiogenesis and tissue regeneration.
Leech VEGF Modulator
Vascular endothelial growth factor pathway modulator — angiogenic and wound-healing implications.
Leech PDGF Modulator
Platelet-derived growth factor pathway modulator — implications for wound-healing.
Leech Granulin-A
Granulin-family peptide identified in Hirudo medicinalis — putative growth-factor / wound-healing analog (mechanistic only).