Since ancient times, snails have been prescribed as medicine for maladies of the stomach, hydropsy and labor. In the Medieval Age, peoples used the water where the snails were boiled to help sore throats and bronchitis, and also to cure gastric-intestinal infections and cataplasm.

There are some reports of miraculous cures of gastric ulcers by ingesting, during a week, live snails taken from their shells. However, it is important to distinguish between scientific facts and superstitions without scientific evidence. The truth is, there are indicators that prove the therapeutical value of snails, such as the aminoacids, contained in the protein of the snails meat and in their drool.

These aminoacids contribute to the restoration of the integrity of the gastric tissue, curing, this way, ulcers. Because it is a food rich in calcium and polisaturated fatty acids, a diet based on snails meat is recommended in cases of rickets and cholesterol. Its high quantity of mineral salts and iron is useful during pregnancy and nursing. As snails meat is poor in lipids, it can be eaten by those who suffer from liver diseases, arterioscleroses and obesity.

In France and in Germany, snails are the foundation to the preparation of cosmetics, and are also used in handcraft and in many shell arrangements. In Brazil, there is research boing done with the utilization of helicine( the snalls' drool) as healer for scars and ulceration.