Can earthworms really cure many diseases?

Doctor - pharmacist Nguyen Thanh Triet, Deputy Head of the Department of Traditional Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, explains: Earthworms are also known as earthworms, tiger worms, and earthworms. The medicinal herb Earthworms refers to whole earthworms that have been cleaned, gutted, and have had the soil in their intestines and internal organs removed, then dried or sun-dried.

Earthworm products, especially their decoctions, have been widely used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. They have shown many beneficial biological effects on health such as promoting blood circulation, dissolving blood stasis, reducing fever, and promoting urination.

Decoction of earthworm is commonly used clinically in the treatment of asthma and has the effect of relieving wheezing, reducing fever, analgesic, anticonvulsant and many other pharmacological effects.

To date, many active ingredients, including amino acids, fatty acids, trace elements, lumbritin, lumbrofebrin, terrestrolum brolysin, purine, choline, cholesterin…. and vitamins have been identified in earthworm.

According to traditional medicine, earthworms have a salty taste and cold properties, and have the effect of clearing heat, calming the nerves, clearing the meridians, relieving asthma, and promoting urination. Earthworms are used in cases of high fever, muscle spasms, joint pain, numbness in limbs, stroke, asthma due to lung heat, little urine, and high blood pressure.

Some notes when using earthworm

According to Dr. - pharmacist Nguyen Thanh Triet, due to its cold nature, earthworm should not be used in cases of cold deficiency (yang deficiency giving rise to external cold with symptoms such as cold hands and feet, pale complexion, weakness or fatigue, spontaneous sweating...) without actual heat (fever, yellow tongue coating, red and painful urination, dry throat, thirst...). Do not use for people who are allergic to the ingredients in this medicinal herb.

Earthworms live in the soil and can contain many harmful bacteria. Therefore, when used, they must be cleaned according to the processing procedures in the Pharmacopoeia. They should not be used without the direction and advice of a medical professional.