If the US government cracks down, different species from Biopharm and other suppliers could suddenly become contraband.
That still leaves healthy markets in Europe and Asia, Peters said. "Koreans more readily accept the use of leeches, whereas in Britain they are still seen as a last resort."
The real worry stemming from the mislabelling of leeches lies in a large body of scientific research. "The implications of our findings are far-reaching," said Siddall.
Development biologists and neurobiologists "are grappling" with the fact that certain results in their experiments are possibly due to the fact that they were working — without knowing it — with two, or possibly even three, species rather than one.
There are at least 115 bioactive ingredients that have been isolated from what was sold as H. medicinalis, mainly anticoagulants, antistasins and protease inhibitors used to block the reproduction of viruses.
Finding out which of these wonder compounds is attributable to which species may well be a nightmare.
But there is a silver lining, insisted Siddall. "With three species rather than one, there may three times as many interesting compounds to be discovered and harnessed."
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