Hirudo medicinalis
Also known as Medicinal leeches, H. medicinalis, Medicinal leech
medicinal leech
AI overview
Hirudo medicinalis is a species of leech that has been used in medical treatment for centuries and continues to be employed in modern medicine today. These leeches matter because they can improve blood circulation and tissue healing, making them particularly useful in reconstructive and plastic surgery to help restore damaged or reattached body parts.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
Near ThreatenedEuropean blood-sucking leech
Hirudo medicinalis
SPECIES
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumAnnelida
- ClassClitellata
- OrderArhynchobdellida
- FamilyHirudinidae
Habitatfreshwater
Observations334
via GBIF · IUCN
Research
1,031 papers- Hirudo medicinalis: avascular tissues for clear-cut angiogenesis studies?ReviewCurrent pharmaceutical design · 2004
Article
Hirudo medicinalis, or the European medicinal leech, is one of several species of leeches used as medicinal leeches.
Other species of Hirudo sometimes also used as medicinal leeches include H. orientalis, H. troctina, and H. verbana. The Asian medicinal leech includes Hirudinaria manillensis, and the North American medicinal leech is Macrobdella decora.