In perhaps its most daring leap into capitalism, the center sells a line of cosmetics called “Bioenergy” where bits of leeches are turned into shampoo, face cream and other beauty products.
“Leech cosmetics, unlike the ordinary kind, heal the skin from within instead of just plastering over it,” said Yelena Titova, director of the center’s laboratories.
Leech skin cream may seem exotic but it is hardly unusual for Russia, where doctors apply leeches to treat problems ranging from infertility and gynecological ailments to tooth disease.
Experts at the Udelnaya leech center insist that such practices have a firm scientific basis, even if they have yet to gain acceptance in mainstream Western medicine.
While ancient people believed leeches healed the sick by purging bad blood, today’s scientists say their benefit lies in the substances they inject into the bloodstream, including hirudin, which stops blood from clotting.
“Here you have a whole factory of medicines, more than 30 components, and all created by nature,” Titova said.
The Udelnaya center is well poised to take advantage of increasing demand for leeches because of its rigorous approach to breeding them, she said, describing it as unique in the world.
An important element of the center’s method is to have one caretaker oversee each batch of leeches from start to finish, which motivates workers to ensure that every leech is healthy, Titova explained.
That approach also creates an emotional bond between the women who work in the center and their leeches.
“If I didn’t love them, I wouldn’t have worked here so many years,” said Lepyoshkina, who has worked at the center for 25 years and raises more than 100,000 leeches annually. “They are practically our children.”
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