Earthworm Pharmaceuticals

VERMICULTURE: NEW PHARMACEUTICALS. REVIEW

Summary

2006

By Titov I.N., Ilyin E.A., Larionov N.P.

 
Prospect Stroiteley, 11, Vladimir State Pedagogical Unuversity, Vladimir, Russia, 600024

 
Preparations made of material of animal origin (placenta, snake and bees poison, dags, sea and river hydrocoles) were used extensively in folk and modern medicine for treating many human diseases. These preparations are also very important nowadays, though some of them are not used in modern medicine because of resource deterioration. Renewable natural medical material of animal origin and pharmaceutical preparations on their basis as well as biologically active food supplements are the future. This area of human activity and economics must be developed and improved in every possible way.

Earthworms (Oligochaeta) are the most ancient invertebrate animals on Earth. Over 3100 Oligochaeta species are known, but at present only 12-15 species are used as vermiculture in different countries of the world. The vermiculture is particularly good for bioconversion of organic wastes into organic fertilizer (vermicompost) and earthworm biomass as the source of proteins, peptides, enzymes and physically active substances production.

In many Southeast Asia countries earthworms have already been used for 2300 years to cure different human diseases. In Vietnam a dry earthworm powder produced according to different techniques that guarantee its purity is the compulsory ingredient of pharmaceuticals or “magic medicines that save life within 60 minutes”. These pharmaceuticals are often used to treat various organ dysfunctions – the result of bacterial and viral infections.

Already in 1883 Charles Darwin observed that tissue fluid can dissolve fibrin. In 1986 Japanese researchers extracted a fibrin dissolving enzyme from Lumbricus rubellus. It consisted at least of six enzymes, collectively named lumbrokinase. Commercial fibrinolytic preparations are produced in China and Canada accordingly named Plasmin and Bolouake.

The vermicultivation technology is practically wasteless. Potential and perspectives of this state-of-art biotechnology may play am important role in three vital spheres of human activity on the Earth, i.e. environment protection, agriculture, health care.

Thus, vermicultivation is a modern biotechnology able to turn plant organic wastes into valid animal proteins effectively. Moreover, the earthworm biomass is a unique and renewable natural source to produce different preparations of biologically active substances.