The document discusses the role of insects in human medicine. It begins with an introduction to entomotherapy, which is the medicinal use of insects and insect-derived products. It then covers the traditional and historical use of insects in medicine in various cultures around the world. Specific examples of traditional uses are provided for China, India, Africa, and the Americas. The document also discusses two case studies on the therapeutic uses of insects in traditional South Indian medicine. Finally, it outlines some modern scientific uses of insects in medicine, including maggot therapy, apitherapy, and blister beetle therapy.

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2. DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY
DR. RAJENDRA PRASAD CENTRALAGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITY, PUSA, BIHAR
Master’s
Seminar on
MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY: Role of insects in human
medicine
2
SPEAKER:-
MAHENDER KUMAR
Reg No: M/ENTO/315/2021-22
M. Sc (Ag), 3rd Sem.
Dept. of Entomology
RPCAU, Pusa
SEMINAR INCHARGE:-
Dr. Md. Abbas Ahmad &
Dr. Nagendra Kumar
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Entomology
RPCAU, Pusa

3. 30,000 human diseases
> 13000 medicines
https://www.drugbank.ca/stats
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5. CONTENTS
5
Introduction
History
Traditional and historical use of insects in medicine
Most commonly used medicinal Insect
Scientific uses of insects in medicines
Maggot therapy
Apitherapy
Blister beetle therapy
Case study
Case study
Conclusion
Modern or scientific uses of insects in medicines

6.  The medicinal use of insects and insect derived
products is known as entomotherapy.
 The term “entomotherapy” is derived from the
Greek words entomon (insect) + therapy (treatment
in medical terms). “Entomotherapy” is defined as
preventative or therapeutic use of insects and insect-
derived products (Costa-Neto 2005).
6
Introduction
Entomotherapy

7. Batocera
rufamaculata/
Coleoptera/
cerambycidae
Long horned
beetles
Larvae Wounds Eaten live
Apis dorsata/
Hymenoptera/
Apidae
Honey
bee
Larvae
and
pupae
Fatigue Tonic
Rhynchophorus
ferugineus/
Coleoptera/
Curculionidae
Snout beetles-
palm weevil
Larvae
For
bronchial
inflammatio
n
Tonic
Oryctes
rhinoceros/
Coleoptera/
Scarabaeidae
Scarab beetles Larvae
Dissipates clots
and bruises
Crushed
live and
applied
Senthyilkumar etal.,2008
7
Most commonly used medicinal Insect

8. Xylotrupes
gideon/
Coleoptera/
scarabaeidae
Hercules
beetle
Larvae Ulcer Tonic
Mylabris
pustulata/
Coleoptera/
meloidae
Blister
beetle
Adult Problems in
urogenital
system
Fresh
extract
Cantharis
strygosa/
Coleoptera/
meloidae
Soldier
beetle-
spanish fly
Larvae Skin disorders. applied for
skin
disordes
Hierodula
coarctata/
Dictyoptera
/ Mantodea
Mantid Adult Resolves
bruises and
clots
Crushe
d live
and
applied
Senthyilkumaretal., 2008 8

9. Musca domestica/
Diptera/ Muscidae
Housefly Adult Cold, fever
Crushed
live and
applied
Phaenicia sericata/
Diptera/Calliph
oridae
Blowfly
larvae
larvae
Wound
healing
Crushed
live and
applied
Lethocerus
indicus/
Hemiptera/Belo
stomatidae
Giant
water
bugs
Adult
Health
tonic
Tonic
Belastoma indica/
Hemiptera/Belo
stomatidae
Giant
water
bugs
Adult
Protein
supplement
Eaten
roasted
Senthyilkumaretal., 2008 9

10. Apis cerana
indica/
Hymenoptera/
Apidae
Honey bee
Bee sting,
venom,
bee wax
Arthritis
Live animal
sting and
application
of wax
Apis mellifera/
Hymenoptera/
Apidae
Honey bee Egg,
larva,
pupa,
stomach
disorders.
Relives
flatulence
worms
Decoction
Xylocopa
violacea/
Hymenoptera/
Apidae
Mason bees By sting
Arthritis
Live animal
sting
Vespa
orientalis
/Hymenoptera/
vespidae
wasp larvae Arthritis
Crushed
live and
applied
Senthyilkumaretal., 2008 10

11. Vespa mangifica/
Hymenoptera/
Vespidae
Wasp Larvae Bone building Tonic
Oecophylla
smaragdina/
Hymenoptera/
Formicidae
Ant
Larva And
Adult
Resistance
to fatigue
andsun’s
heat
Prepared
as tonic
and eaten
roasted
Odontotermes
feae/ Isoptera/
Odontotermitida
e
Termite Adults Anemia eaten fried
Macrotermes
gilvus/ Isoptera/
Termitidae
Termite Adults
Anemia and
weakness
eaten
roasted
Senthyilkumaretal., 2008 11

12. Samia ricini/
Lepidoptera/
Saturniidae
Eri silkworm pupa
Back pain Eaten
cooked
Bombyx mori/
Lepidoptera/
bombycidae
Mulberry
silkworm
Pupa
Relieves
flatulence and
loosens
congestion
Eaten
cooked
Antheraea roylei/
Lepidoptera/
saturniidae
Muga
silkworm
Pupa
Stomach
disorder
Eaten
cooked
Helicoverpa
armigera/
Lepidoptera/
Noctuidae
The gram
pod borer larvae
fever, nervous
break down,
hair growth,
Powder
after
drying,
tonic and
fresh
Senthyilkumaretal., 2008 12

13. Acrida
exaltata/
Orthoptera/
Acrididae
Grass hopper Nymphs &
adults
Anemia
Eaten
roasted
Acridium
malanocorne
/ Orthoptera/
Acrididae
Brown locust Nymphs &
adults
Protein
supplement
Eaten
roasted
Acridium
peregrinum/
Orthoptera/
Acrididae
Locust
Nymphs &
adults
Protein
supplement
Eaten
roasted
Acisoma
panorpoides/
Odonata/
Libellulidae
Darner Nymphs Blood
purifier
Tonic
Senthyilkumaretal., 2008
13

14. History
 “Insectotheology” 1699 (Berenbaum, 1995) belief that
insects exist for the benefit of human beings. (Chapter
22 – insects in ancient and modern medicine.
 “Ebers papyrus” - Egyptian medical treatise written in
1550 BCE, found by George Ebers in 1875 AD.
According to this book, medicines obtained from insects
and spiders (Weiss 1947).
 Silkworms (Bombyx mori L., 1758) - Chinese
traditional medicine for at least 3000 years (Zimian et al. 1997)
14

15. ENTOMOTHERAPY
Traditional
and
historical use
of insects in
medicine
Modern or
scientific use
of insects in
medicine
15

16. TRADITIONALAND HISTORICAL
USE OF INSECTS IN MEDICINE
16

17. Traditional Uses of Insects and Related Arthropods
Around the World
Traditional medicines in China:
 Herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, exercise, dietary
therapy and fertility.
 Insects + TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine).
 Ant extract of black mountain ant, Polyrhachis vicina +
wine are used as energy drink and anti aging properties.
(Srivastava et al., 2009)
17

18. Traditional medicines in India
Termite
 Termites paste – applied / mixed with water
and consumed (Srivastava et al., 2009).
Cure ulcers, arthritis & anaemia (Chakravorty et al., 2011).
Jatropha leaf miner
Larva boiled mashed paste which is
administered topically reduce fever & induce lactation
Red ants: pain relief, Anti-aging, improve the digestion and
improves the Immune systems. (Srivastava et al., 2009) 18

19. 19
Oecophylla smaragdina, Red Weaver
ants are something that most people want
to avoid because of their sting, which
leaves a stinging scarlet bruise on the
skin. The indigenous communities of
Odisha’s, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh
red ant chutney is referred to as "Kai
Chutney."
Currently in 2022, Mayurbhanj district
of Odisha get GI tag for Kai chutney.
Benefits of Chaprah/ Kai chutney:
common cold, whooping cough. It is also
useful in increasing the appetite, enhancing
vision and eyesight naturally without
corrective eyewear, and treating joint pain,
and stomach diseases.
Kai Chutney

20. 20
 In Arunachal Pradesh, Nyishi and Galo tribes used
about 102 species of insects for food and medicine
purpose (Chakravorty et al. 2011).
 In Satpura Plateau of Madhya Pradesh, 10 insects
species belonging to different families are used as
food and medicine by the tribal and rural people
of the remote villages of Chhindwara & Betul
district (Bhowate and Kumar 2020).

21. Traditional medicines in Africa
Grasshopper
 Sun dried powder paste (water and ash) pain of
violent headaches
Termites
 Mound boiled paste applied to external wounds to
prevent infection / consumed to treat internal hemorrhages
Red ants: used to treat the asthma, severe cough and improves the
Immune systems
(Srivastava et al., 2009)
21

22. Traditional medicines in America
Grasshoppers:
 Kidney diseases, to reduce swelling, and to relieve the pain of intestinal disorders
Army ant (soldier)
 Salivary gland secretions – antibiotic
properties
Red harvester ant
 Venom- Arthritis and poliomyelitis
The silkworm, Bombyx mori
 Boiled pupae - pneumonia and
frequent urination
 Larvae - improve circulation and reduce the symptoms of cholera (intense vomiting
and diarrhoea). 22

23. Insect nests and dwellings
 Dwellings or ‘nests’- traditional medicines.
 India & Brazil : dissolve whole nest of mud wasps  apply on mumps
(swelling of throat)
 Inhaling the smoke of the melted wax prevent the possibility of stroke
(Costa-Neto, 2005).
 Crushed wasp nest + oil / water  washing thehead - reduce severe
headaches
Benno and Rochow, 2017
23

24. Contd.
 Korea: Paper wasp nests - Child fright disease / pedophobia (Greek
word “Paida” means children and “Phobos” means fear) and
Arthritis
 Nests of the potter wasp (Eumenes sp.) used to cure
headaches.
24
Benno and Rochow, 2017

25. Diagnoses based on the presence of insects
Presence of flies indicates - corpse must be nearby
Presence of head lice on a child’s scalp indicate the child’s
health status (Meyer-Rochow, 1979).
Some tribals in Africa recognize diabetes when ants are
noticed to feed on a person’s urine (Van Huis, 2002)
Benno and Rochow, 2017
25

26. Therapeutics of insects and insect
products in south Indian traditional
medicine
Wilsanand V, Preema Varghese & Rajitha P
Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 6(4), 2007, 563-568
Objectives:
Studies on utilization of insects and insect products as
traditional medicine among the tribes spread over two
districts of Kerala.
26
CASE STUDY

27. a) Dragon nymphs, (b) various aquatic insects, (c) katydid Mecopoda elongata, (d)
the sand cricket (Schizodactylus monstrosus), (e) the dinorid bug Coridius
singhalanus, (f) the red pumpkin bug Coridius janus, (g) sundried pentatomid
bug Udonga montana, (h) the chrysomelid beetle Aplosonyx chalybaeus larvae, and,
(i) large unidentified wood larvae.
27

28. (a) Apis cerana indica honey comb, (b) honeycomb of Apis florea, (c) wasp
nest of Vespa soror, (d) large nests of Vespa tropica tropica, (e) fried wasps
(Provespa barthelemyi), (f) nest of giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), (g)
healthy hornet grubs, (h) freshly harvested Vespa auraria by smoking
method, and (i) worker ants Oecophylla smaragdina.
28

29. Table 1: Insect and insect raw-materials used for the treatment of various diseases
by the tribes of Kerala
Common
name
Zoological
name
Parts
used
Diseases
Honeybee Apis cerana
indica
Honey Headache, mouth ulcer, burns, cold,
asthma, chest infection, throat pain,
Bee sting Improves the vision
Bee eggs, Back pain, chest pain, chest infection
larva better vision
Potter or
mud wasp
Eumenes sp. Wasp nest Headache, burns
Tree ant Ant hill Scabies
Black beetle adult Malaria
Winged
termite
Odontotermes
formosanus
adult Ulcer
Mole cricket Gryllotalpa
gryllotalpa
adult Sprains
29

30. Modern or scientific uses of insects in medicines
30

31. Maggot therapy
Apitherapy
Blister beetle therapy
31

32. Blow fly larvae-Lucilia sericata
Diabetic foot wounds, leg ulcers
Maggots feed on dead tissue
Allantoin – inhibit the bacterial growth
Maggot therapy
32

33. Maggot therapy
Maggot therapy is also known as maggot debridement
therapy (MDT), larval therapy, larva therapy or bio-surgery
first introduced in the US in 1931
It was re-introduced first in US by Army physicians
Rahimi et. al. 2023 have showed extensive application of
maggot debridement therapy against antibiotic-ressistant
Diabetic foot ulcer.
33

34. BIOLOGY
Blow flies
Phaenicia sericata
Calliphoridae
34

35. HOW TO APPLY AND MANAGE
“Creature Comfort dressing”: made up of polyester
netting.
8 to 10 maggots/cm2 of surface in the treatment
area.
35

36. Number of treatment depends on the size of the
wound.
The average number of treatment is 2-4 cycles.
The maggot dressing is removed as soon as possible
because maggots have stop secreting their
proteolytic enzymes within 48-72 hours.
After complete feeding, maggots leave the wound
and crawl away as quickly as possible.
36

37. ADVANTAGES
Do not damage healthy tissues
Takes about 10-15 minutes to apply
Simple enough for even non-surgeons to use it
Septicemia can be prevented.
Offensive odor emanating from the necrotic tissue
decrease significantly
37

38. Apitherapy
Honey
Scar tissue, rashes, and burns
Digestive problems & general health restorative
Prevent cancer and heart disease
Heated and consumed- colds, cough, throat infections,
Insect bite and lung diseases (Ramos et al.,1988)
38

39.  Honey or honey bee products of the bee, Apis indica
are used as a ingredient in most of the tribal
medicines used for the treatment of burns, mouth
ulcer, headache, chest pain, asthma, cold, throat
pain, fungal infection, body pain, etc.
Apitherapy with bee-products like honey, propolis,
fortified-honey and herb-honey is a part of
traditional medicines. Honey is used for the
treatment of cough and cold as well as for the
treatment of asthma by most of the South Indian
tribes of Tamil Nadu.
39

40. Bee venom :-
Major peptides - melittin
Inflammation & arthritis.
Melittin blocks the expression of inflammatory
genes.
Direct insect sting/ intramuscular injections
40

41. Propolis
Antibiotic, anaesthetic & anti-inflammatory
properties.
Royal jelly
Anaemia, gastrointestinal ulcers, hypo- and
hypertension
Bee bread
Health restorative
Treat both internal & external infections
(Ramos et al., 1988)
41

42. Table 2: Examples of phenols present in honey with
anticancer properties
Classofphenolic
compounds
Examples of specific phenolic
compounds researched
(1) Flavonols Quercetin, galangin, fisetin, and myricetin
(2) Flavanones Hesperidin
(3) Flavones Apigenin, acacetin, chrysin, luteolin, and
tricetin
(4) Phenolic acids Caffeic acid
(6) Coumarins Coumarin
(7) Tannins Ellagic acid
(Ramos et al., 1988) 42

43. Efficacy of medical-grade honey as
an autolytic debridement agent
Julie Evans and Kirsty Mahoney
Wounds UK .Vol. 9. 2013
Objectives:
 Access the effectiveness of honey as a
wound debriding agent
43

44. 22 patients with wounds
Data were collected from the all wounds after three
consecutive dressing with medical graded honey
Data collected on devitalised tissue
Devitalised tissue: Dead tissue, usually caused by
interruption of the blood supply to tissue and cells.
Necrotic tissue slough 44

45. Fig.2: Percentage of devitalised tissue at the start of the study.
82% of patients had ≥ 80% devitalised tissue at the beginning
45

46. Beginning: 68% (15/22) of wounds had > 40% necrotic tissue
End: 87% of wounds had reduced in the amount of necrotic tissue to < 40%,
67% of wounds have 100% debridement of necrosis.
13% (2/22) of patients experienced little or no debridement
Fig.3: Percentage of necrotic tissue at the start and end of the study
46

47. Fig. 4: Percentage of slough at the start and end of the study.
Beginning: 36% (8/22) wounds with > 40% slough
End: 90% of wounds having < 40% slough
25% of wounds have 100% debridement
47

48. Fig. 5: Time taken for autolytic debridement of wounds
The average time taken to achieve complete autolytic debridement of all devitalised
tissue was 31.7 days
48

49. 87% of wounds achieving a high percentage of
autolytic debridement of devitalised tissue and
Medical-grade honey could achieve complete
autolytic debridement in an average of 31.7 days.
 Medical-grade honey should be considered as an
effective option for autolytic debridement.
49
Conclusion of case study

50. Cantharidin- Blister beetle, Mylabris pustulata (India) and
Lytra vesicotria (Europe)
Vesicant, temporary burning, pain and erythema.
Chinese use as a folk medicine to cure cancer since 2000 yrs.
Highly toxic but used in aphrodisiac, abortifacient & bactericide.
Warts, Bladder, breast cancer, pancreatic, hairfall and leukaemia & veterinary
medicine Furosemide.
Male blister beetle uses cantharidin as a defence mechanism and female
acquires as a copulatory gift for her mate.
Newer drugs like Peridin from Blister beetle are used as a anti-parasitic drug
(Whitman et. al. 2019).
Blister Beetle Therapy

51. 51

52. Table 5: Insect-derived chemicals proven pharmacologically action
Insect taxon Chemicals
Pharmacological
action
Hyalophora
cercropia/ Silk moth
Cecropin A and B Antibacterial
Sarcophaga
peregrine/ Flesh fly
Sarcotoxin IA, IB,
IC; sapecin
Antibacterial
Drosophyla
melanogaster
Defensin, diptericin Antibacterial
Bombyx mori
Attacin, moricin,
drosocin
Antibacterial
Anoplius
samariensis/ Wasp
Pompilidotoxin Neurotoxin
Pseudagenia
maculifrons/ Wasp
Pompilidotoxin
Neurotoxin
Lokeshwari and Shantibala, 2010
52

53. Insect taxon Chemicals
Pharmacological
action
Anterhynchium
flavomarginatum/ Wasp
Eumenine
mastoparan-
AF
mastcelldegranulating
peptide
Lytta vesicatoria
/SpanishFlies
Cantharidin Vesicant
Phoeniciasericata
/Blowflies
Allantoin Antibacterial
Catopsiliacrocale
/ Pieridbutterfly
Isoxanthopterin Anticancer
Allomyrina dichotomus/
Japanese hornedbeetle
Dichostatin Anticancer
Apis mellifera Honey Antibacterial
Apis mellifera Propolis Anticancer, anti-HIV
Contd.,
Lokeshwari and Shantibala, 2010
53

54. Conclusion
Insects is a good source of medicine.
Wild harvest of insect pests.
It is not only to protect human being from the different disease but it is
also reduce pesticide use.
It can be a good source of income generation to establishment of mass
rearing insectaries.
Mass rearing of insects is good for organic waste recycling.
 Avoid destruction of natural food chains.
Honey bees and some aquatic insects (mayflies) used as a ecological
indicator.
Insects also used as a biocontrol agent as well as scavengers.
54

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