Insects as doctors
For many people, insects are much more often associated not with treatment, but with the spread of the disease. Everyone knows that flies spread a variety of infections, that cockroaches and ants that have settled in houses need to be ruthlessly eradicated, and that malaria mosquitoes kill almost 3 million people every year.
But, nevertheless, there are recipes that allow you to use these terrible insects as doctors. Of course, not everyone will like this method of treatment, but it exists.
Disgusting-looking larvae of a green carrion fly, in addition to carrion and other equally terrible substances, can live right in open, festering wounds. These creatures digest their food outside of their body: that is, the larva secretes special enzymes into the wound, diluting the tissues, and then sucks up the resulting gruel. It is from this seemingly absolutely terrible process that a healing effect can be extracted. Getting into the wound, the larva gives a clear preference to already dead tissue and small fragments of bones, trying to eat them first. At the same time, the enzymes that it secretes prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria. In addition, allatonin contained in enzymes promotes wound healing.
Treatment with larvae is used even in modern hospitals. For this purpose, not just flies caught on the street are used (such insects can additionally carry tetanus and gangrene bacilli), but flies grown in laboratory conditions. Their larvae are able to thoroughly clean slowly healing wounds and accelerate their healing.
Bee venom treatment has been known for a very long time and has a lot of adherents. Bee venom contains many medicinal substances. Bee venom has been successfully used to treat rheumatic arthritis and multiple sclerosis. But this medicine, like synthetic potent drugs, can cause severe allergic reactions in some people, up to death, so you need to use it very carefully.
Ant venom has also been used in medicine for a very long time. For example, it is successfully used to treat certain diseases of the joints. Ant venom is part of many medicines.
Many peoples have traditional medicinal recipes based on ants. For example, the Australian aborigines, in order to get a medicine that relieves headaches, brew green ants with boiling water. They say that such "ant tea" is able not only to relieve headaches, but also to accelerate wound healing. The taste of such an unusual drink resembles the usual green tea.
The huge jaws of some species of wandering ants in Africa and South America can be used to accelerate wound healing. To do this, the ant is allowed to cling to the edges of the wound, and when the jaws close, they tear off his head. Such a rather cruel method allows you to put a good seam on the wound in field conditions.
It's hard to believe, but there are also antibiotics from cockroaches. Therefore, the supragloteal ganglion of a cockroach - the nerve node that performs the function of the brain in a cockroach - contains a substance that is a fairly potent antibiotic. The antibiotic obtained from the "cockroach brains" is so powerful that it allows you to kill even the most dangerous Staphylococcus aureus, which is still one of the most formidable infections, both natural and nosocomial.
The malaria mosquito can also be used for treatment. Malaria is an infectious, severe and very dangerous disease. About three million people die from this disease every year. But there are people who are ready to get malaria themselves, just to get rid of their other disease. Such diseases include syphilis. There is evidence that the causative agent of malaria destroys the bacteria that cause syphilis. It turns out this scheme: first malaria "devours" syphilis, and then the doctor cures malaria.
Cochineal worm can be used as a cough medicine. The bright red dye carmine has long been extracted from these unpleasant-looking insects. It is also said that alcohol tincture from these insects helps with whooping cough, asthma and other less severe lung diseases.
Actually, insects are one of the most dangerous creatures on earth. There are such species, one touch of which can cause an inevitable and very painful death. For example, such a "gift" is possessed by the caterpillar of the harmless South American butterfly lonomy.
But in those countries where the lack of food has always affected especially strongly, people have long learned to eat some insects. Fried scorpions, locusts, silkworm caterpillars - all this is eaten in large quantities. There are even rich restaurants serving dishes made from insects.