Five pairs of eyes, three jaws and two hundred and seventy teeth... A predator weighing from one gram and about twelve centimeters long, feeds on blood and replaces drugs... The medical leech is the most common species for breeding out of five hundred that exist in nature. And the only one useful to humans. Only a few farms breed medical leeches. However, at home, you can also achieve the reproduction of these worms.

natural healers

During hirudotherapy, leeches, having stuck to the body, suck out blood. But the therapeutic effect is not at all in this process. What matters is not what leeches suck, but what they give. Hirudin is a unique enzyme found in the saliva of the medicinal leech. Through bites, this substance enters the human body, providing a curative property. In general, the leech secretes sixty-four types of amino acids and forty types of enzymes that are beneficial to humans.

Experts managed to artificially remove hirudin, but it only works for three days, while natural is effective for three months. Hirudin and other leech enzymes have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immunostimulating effects, and also normalize lipid metabolism in the human body.

Hirudotherapy is used to treat diseases of the endocrine and digestive systems, gynecological ailments, diseases of the joints and respiratory organs.

Leeches are a natural medicine with no side effect. Their size does not matter, all individuals are useful and safe. Usually, doctors prescribe nine sessions of hirudotherapy every six months. The interval between sessions should be three to four days.

Having sucked, the leech increases in size up to ten times. An individual weighing from one to three grams can suck out about fifteen milliliters of blood.

Breeding leeches on special farms

In Russia, there are hardly a dozen centers for growing medicinal leeches that work legally. Their capabilities do not cover even 50% of the demand of hirudotherapists. A large leech breeding farm operates, for example, in the Moscow region. There is a large biofactory in the Saratov region.

Breeding of natural healers is carried out under the supervision of specialists - "cultivators of leeches". They monitor the process, create comfortable conditions for the breeding and growth of offspring.

On farms, leeches live in ordinary three-liter glass jars of 200-300 pieces. Vessels are stored in rooms protected from sunlight and any odors. Aromas medical leeches do not tolerate either during growth or during treatment.

Some individuals go to breeding stock. Leeches are hermaphrodites, in an even number of up to 16-18 pieces they are placed in jars for reproduction. After fertilization, light rings appear on the body of leeches. Two weeks later, the queens are laid in peat. Here they release foam, forming a cocoon that will mature for about three months.

For breeding, the largest individuals are selected. They are grown for almost two years, fattened to a weight five times the weight of an ordinary commercial individual.

When the babies crawl out of the cocoon, they are fed for about five months. Then - three months of a hunger strike, so that individuals would be ready to perform their healing function for sale.

In general, the breeding of medicinal leeches is an artificial cultivation, for which it is sometimes necessary to plant brothers from the wild. Because with each generation, farm leeches weaken and become smaller.

Before sending leeches on orders, they are subjected to a medical examination and an activity test. A leech is considered fit if it is ready to suck.

Business on leeches

Breeding medical leeches as a business is a good option for generating income without major investments. It is necessary to register as an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity. But the process of obtaining the necessary license from the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare will bring more trouble. The leech is equated to a medical preparation, therefore its cultivation requires the support of special documents.

The starting batch of leeches can be ordered at specialized farms. The selling price is usually from thirty rubles per individual.

If, when thinking about a business, you decide to save money and catch leeches in a pond, then most likely you will spend more than you will receive income. Water leeches are not suitable for hirudotherapy.

Large biofarms can grow seven to eight million leeches per year.

Conditions for growing leeches

In the private business of cultivating leeches, the same conditions must be provided that are observed on farms. For each stage of development of an individual, you will need separate containers:

1. Cocoon maturation in boxes with peat.
2. Growing fry in glass jars or plastic containers.
3. Aquariums, jars or containers for keeping adult worms.

It is important to monitor the water in the vessels where the leeches are placed. In order not to miss the moment of pollution or the formation of mucus, it is better to use aquariums or glass jars. Some grow individuals in food-grade plastic buckets. Also a valid option, but transparent glass vessels are preferable. Banks or buckets should be covered with a piece of cloth or a perforated lid.

Without maintaining a certain state of water and microclimate in the room, leeches can die. Air humidity should not be lower than eighty-eighty-five percent, water and air temperature - twenty-four - twenty-seven degrees.

Water in any containers where leeches live must be changed at least twice a week. You will need aerobic filters to keep the water circulating.

Leeches need to be fed once a month. They feed on bull blood.

Nutrition of leeches

The only suitable food for leeches in the breeding process is bovine blood. You can get it at meat processing plants, but watch the quality of the feed. The blood must be from a healthy animal.

Where to promote the product

Given the medicinal properties of medicinal leeches, it can be assumed that they are in demand in medical institutions and among private hirudotherapists, as well as in pharmacies. This category of consumers should be emphasized.

Features of transportation

In order for the leeches to be delivered to the customer in integrity and in full readiness to treat, prepare the conditions for them. It is recommended to transport a batch of leeches in a glass container filled with two-thirds of water. Only distilled water should be used.

During transportation, it is necessary to ensure a comfortable temperature, protect containers from sunlight and odors.

How to deliver leeches to the customer

If the distance to the customer is not more than one hundred kilometers, then it is possible to deliver leeches in plastic containers covered with a perforated lid. For each container of three liters - two hundred leeches.

If the distance is more than a hundred kilometers, then it is more convenient to use fabric bags. For their manufacture, it is better to use coarse calico, the size of one bag is thirty by twenty centimeters. Up to three hundred leeches can be placed in a bag.

The bag must be damp. You can tie it with an ordinary rubber band and wrap it in wrapping paper. It is better to transport bags in cardboard boxes. In such conditions, leeches will survive a two-day journey.

Keep in mind that leeches are very sensitive to changes in the microclimate. At the slightest deviation from the conditions of detention or transportation, they may die.

No special equipment and equipment is used in the process of growing individuals. All work on transplanting and catching must be carried out manually.

Breeding at home

Breeding leeches at home for beginners can seem like a laborious task. However, if you strictly follow the recommendations, then taking care of pets will cease to be troublesome.

After delivery, place the leech in a food-grade plastic container half filled with water. Water can be tap water, but settled for about two days, so that chlorine leaves. Usually leeches tolerate transportation well if it is organized correctly. But sometimes there may be a sick individual in the party. Recognizing it is quite simple: a non-viable leech will be almost motionless in the center of the container.

After you make sure that only medicinal leeches remain, move them to a jar of water. Cover the container with a towel. Use only clean rubber gloves. Active leeches will contract in the muscles if you lightly squeeze the individuals in the palm of your hand.

How to feed leeches at home

Nothing. The sense will be only from hungry leeches. They can live on hunger strike for six to twelve months. During this time, they are usually already used in therapy. So don't worry about the nutrition of worms, and don't listen to ridiculous advice about the need to sweeten the habitat of leeches with sugar. They don't emaciate.

But it is worth monitoring the microclimate in the room. Room temperature should be maintained, jars of leeches are best stored in a shady room. Water must be changed every three to five days, well filtered and sufficiently oxygenated. Do not be afraid if the water becomes cloudy - this is the result of the excretion of waste products of leeches.

Breeding leeches at home as a business

Medical leeches are small, medium and large. Breeding leeches at home begins with the order of large individuals that can bring offspring. As soon as you get a delivery with a batch of leeches, feed them. Then place individuals in pairs in banks, no more than 18 worms in a vessel. In a month, light rings should appear on the leeches - a sign of fertilization. Soon they need to be moved to peat.

In peat, leeches lay a cocoon in which fifteen to twenty fry mature. From a hundred queen leeches, you can get a thousand - two thousand individuals.

If you are not going to grow leeches for sale, but want to use them for your treatment, then it would be right to consult a doctor before starting therapy.