Use By Humans
Thousands of the horseshoe crabs are caught by local fishermen and fisherwomen. In some areas, the crab is cooked, and the unlaid yellowish roe is eaten. However, some reports show that the crabs are toxic. In addition, horseshoe crabs are prized for their blue blood, as it is widely used in biomedical sciences for the development of drugs for diseases like mental exhaustion and gastroenteritis. The blood contains a chemical called Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) that can be used to detect pathogens and their endotoxins.
Read more about this topic: Mangrove Horseshoe Crab
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“It is quite a common and vulgar thing among humans to understand, foresee, know and predict the troubles of others. But oh what a rare thing it is to predict, know, foresee and understand one’s own troubles.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)