Earthworms Dilong: Ancient, Inexpensive, Noncontroversial Models May Help Clarify Approaches to Integrated Medicine Emphasizing Neuroimmune Systems

Abstract

Earthworms have provided ancient cultures with food and sources of medicinal cures. Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and practices in Japan, Vietnam, and Korea have focused first on earthworms as sources of food. Gradually fostering an approach to potential beneficial healing properties, there are renewed efforts through bioprospecting and evidence-based research to understand by means of rigorous investigations the mechanisms of action whether earthworms are used as food and/or as sources of potential medicinal products. Focusing on earthworms grew by serendipity from an extensive analysis of the earthworm's innate immune system. Their immune systems are replete with leukocytes and humoral products that exert credible health benefits. Their emerging functions with respect to evolution of innate immunity have long been superseded by their well-known ecological role in soil conservation. Earthworms as inexpensive, noncontroversial animal models (without ethical concerns) are not vectors of disease do not harbor parasites that threaten humans nor are they annoying pests. By recognizing their numerous ecological, environmental, and biomedical roles, substantiated by inexpensive and more comprehensive investigations, we will become more aware of their undiscovered beneficial properties.

Earthworms: A Source of Protein

“…Earthworm is one of the most widely used material medica of animal origin in traditional medicinal systems [25]. According to studies from all over the world, earthworms have been reported to serve as galactagogues and treat several aliments including hypertension, smallpox, dental problems, headache, otitis, fever, asthma, hemorrhoids, arthritis, chronic cough, jaundice, hair loss, urinary impairments, wound healing, ulcers, influenza, and other symptoms and clinical presentations [26][27][28]. Some examples are listed below in this review.…”

Evaluation of cytotoxic and anti-tumor activity of partially purified serine protease isolate from the Indian earthworm Pheretima posthuma

“…After 30 min incubation, the absorbance (OD) of the culture plate was read at a wavelength of 572 nm on an ELISA reader, Anthos 2020 spectrophotometer. Assay was carried out in triplicate using all the chemicals and consumables with molecular biology grade in absolute sterile conditions [10] .…”

“…This was a breakthrough in earthworm based medicine and concurrently various species of earthworms are explored for isolation of earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme (EFE) by different researchers. Further, with molecular mechanisms and physiochemical properties evaluated, it has been found that EFE has tremendous potential to dissolve thrombus in circulatory pipelines with minimal complications [10] . Recent studies have confirmed clinical significance of EFE in cerebral ischemia and more emphasis is given to refine earthworm serine protease as external fibrinolytic agent, efficiently working in neuronal tissues [9] .…”

Helminthes and insects: maladies or therapies

“…This folk medicine provides a cheap method in economically challenged world (Pechter and Sherman 1983;Cooper et al 2012). The research on maggots, helminthes, and insect therapy is highly successful promising aspects in biomedicine (Bonn 2000;Amendt et al 2011).…”