Clinical Efficacy of Leech Therapy (Ta'lq al-'Alaq) in Eczema (Nr Frs): An Open-Label Single-Arm Clinical Study

BACKGROUND: Eczema, known as Nār Fārsī in Unani medicine, is a chronic skin disorder characterized by intense pruritus, dryness, and scaling of skin, along with periodic flares and remissions. Unani literature recognizes it as a disorder caused by safrāwī (bilious) humor. Conventional treatment relies on emollients, humectants, and anti-inflammatory drugs. Unani medicine recommends the expulsion of morbid matter by local blood-letting or oral therapies. Leech therapy, used in many traditional medicine systems for centuries, is a method of expulsion of morbid humors from a disease site. It is prescribed for diseases of joints, skin, the nervous system, etc. Contemporary research has identified many bioactive enzymes and proteins in leech saliva that have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, vasodilatory, antimicrobial, and many other effects. PRIMARY STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of leech therapy in eczema patients based on standard parameters. METHODS: An open-label, single-arm clinical study was conducted on 20 patients diagnosed with eczema. INTERVENTION: Four sessions of leech therapy were carried out with a one-week gap in between. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The effectiveness of leech therapy was assessed using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) Score. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvement was observed in the severity of eczema, as reflected in the EASI Score parameters, i.e., redness (P = .0001), edema (P = .0001), excoriation (P = .0022), and lichenification (P = .0001). However, the decrease in total area involved was not statistically significant (P = .24). CONCLUSION: Leech therapy was found to be safe and effective in relieving the severity of eczema. All patients expressed satisfaction with the treatment, without any drop-outs, indicating excellent adherence to the therapy. With further research, leech therapy may provide positive outcomes in eczema in clinical settings, providing relief to the suffering patients.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Eczema, known as Nr Frs in Unani medicine, is a chronic skin disorder characterized by intense pruritus, dryness, and scaling of skin, along with periodic flares and remissions.

Explore cómo esta investigación se conecta con la práctica clínica

More peer-reviewed studies in Resistencia antimicrobiana.

• Novel Leech Antimicrobial Peptides — Hirunipins — Kumar et al. (2025)
• Leech therapy (Hirudo medicinalis) attenuates testicular damages induced by testicular ischemia/reperfusion in an animal model — Davoodi F et al. (2021)
• AIF-1 and RNASET2 Play Complementary Roles in the Innate Immune Response of Medicinal Leech — Baranzini N et al. (2019)
• Medicinal leech antimicrobial peptides lacking toxicity represent a promising alternative strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens — Grafskaia E et al. (2019)
• Antimicrobial Role of RNASET2 Protein During Innate Immune Response in the Medicinal Leech — Baranzini N et al. (2020)
• Morganella Morganii Infection in Hirudo Medicinalis (Iran): A Case Report — Rahmati Holasoo H et al. (2022)
• Clinical efficacy of Jalaukawacharana (leech application) in Thrombosed piles — Bhagat P, Raut S, Lakhapati A (2012)
• Determination of disulfide linkages in antimicrobial peptides of the macin family by combination of top-down and bottom-up proteomics — Hung CW, Jung S, Grötzinger J, Gelhaus C, Leippe M, Tholey A (2014)
• Molecular characterization of two novel antibacterial peptides inducible upon bacterial challenge in an annelid, the leech Theromyzon tessulatum — Tasiemski A, Vandenbulcke F, Mitta G, Lemoine J, Lefebvre C, Sautière PE, Salzet M (2004)
• Macin family of antimicrobial proteins combines antimicrobial and nerve repair activities — Jung S, Sönnichsen FD, Hung CW et al. (2012)

Browse all ASH-analysed research →