Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 21: A significant number of people today visited practitioners of ‘leech therapy’ on the occasion of Novroz, the Persian New Year, as a cure for their ailments.
People were queuing up at Dargah Hazratbal and other locations eagerly waiting for their turn to undergo the procedure.
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People seek relief from long-term ailments by turning to ancient leech therapy on the occasion of Navroz.
The therapy, believed to be more potent on this day, attracted patients seeking treatment for conditions such as fatty liver, hypertension, frost bytes and blood clotting.
Farooq Ahmad, who had tried various treatments for varicose veins to no avail, found relief through leech therapy, echoing the sentiment of many locals who view it as a superior alternative to conventional medication.
“I am suffering from Varicose veins and have tried different medicines in the last many years but nothing has helped me. I tried this first time and am hopeful,” a patient said.
Manzoor Ahmad, a seasoned practitioner from a lineage of leech therapists, attested to its efficacy, citing four decades of experience. “This has been in our family for several generations. It is very effective in conditions like frost bytes and other conditions. It has helped thousands of people over the years and that is why you see large numbers of people here,” he said.
“When the leeches feed on blood, chemical substances like hirudin, proteins and bio-active molecules from the leeches’ saliva mix with the patient’s blood,” explained Ghulam Nabi, a Unani doctor. “This thins the blood, and hirudin is helpful in cardiac diseases. These substances have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and antimicrobial functions,” he said.
Leech therapy is said to be a long-practised procedure in the Perso-Arabic traditional medicine of Unani, which is also practised in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern-day Central Asia.
While the practice’s origins date back centuries, its preservation remains steadfast in Kashmir, particularly during Novroz, with practitioners now sourcing leeches from outside the region due to declining local availability.
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