The use of medicinal leeches for a variety of ailments goes back thousands of years with the first mention in the Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit medical text. The ancient Greeks also documented their use as far back as 200 B.C. Their use has continued unabated in Eastern cultures and is quite common. The use medicinal leeches in many Western cultures waned in the 19th century but has recently seen a large resurgence in their use. Within the United States, leeches are commonly found in many hospital pharmacies and use by therapists and self treatment is becoming more popular as medicinal leech effectiveness becomes more and more recognized.