How to Remove a Leech

How to Remove a Leech

You can let them drink their fill, or use these harmless methods to peel them off.

Gross. You’ve gone swimming in a lake, and you surface to face the sun with something squishy between your toes: leeches. (Or, maybe you’ve contracted them on a wet hike through the forest via a leach-infested tree on an international getaway, and you’ve now got them on shoulders and in your hair).

These parasitic worm-like beings love human blood and will sink their jaws in when and where they can. Needless to say,  they can definitely pack a punch.

What’s the best way to get them off your back, no pun intended?

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Rumor has it that applying a lit cigarette or a match or sprinkling some salt on it will do the trick. Lathering up in soap or dousing your leech in vinegar can also succeed in breaking these puppies free. It’s time regain your exclusive rights to your own blood!

Of course, if you’re nowhere near a kitchen and you haven’t got a light on you, peeling leeches off with your bare hands can also work.

Some advise that you don’t do this though, as it can result in the creature’s jaws being left in you. It could require medical attention, which isn’t an attractive route.

So, if it’s possible, just stay out of that lake, and cover yourself up when you go hiking in a wet forest. Protect yourself from these modern-day vampires and rest assured that they won’t get much sustenance from your sweater.

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