Centuries-old Indian 'leech theraphy' offer healing in Kashmir: Video
As Nowruz, the Persian New Year, ushers in the arrival of spring, traditional healers known as "leech practitioners" have set up stalls in Srinagar, offering a centuries-old therapy believed to promote health and well-being.
The practice, rooted in ancient medicinal traditions, involves using live leeches to extract "impure" blood from the body. Many believe that this form of bloodletting helps cleanse the system and alleviate various ailments.
“People come here to seek help for different conditions, and leech therapy helps them,” a local resident, Mushtaq Lone, who, like many others, turns to this traditional remedy during Nowruz, told the AFP.
Despite advances in modern medicine, leech therapy continues to hold cultural and therapeutic value in India and draws crowds each year as Kashmiris seek relief from ailments ranging from skin diseases to joint pain.
