When the average person sees a bug, they think of being bitten, stung, the diseases they carry, and the property they can damage—generally bad thoughts. But what if the bugs we loath could save our lives?

From sniffing out a horrible disease to treating skin conditions, various bugs and insects can come to humanity’s aid. So here are ten disease-carrying creepy crawlies that can also cure diseases. Unfortunately, we may have to deal with the bad to get to the good!

Related: 10 Strange Discoveries And Inventions Involving Insects

10 Flies

Maybe not as bad as roaches or mice, but nobody wants flies buzzing around their food. They can carry disease, lay maggots, and are just irritating. But you may want to pay attention if flies keep buzzing in your ear. See, flies, mosquitos, and other buzzing bugs can smell humans, and it turns out, fruit flies may be able to smell cancer.

In a scientific study done in 2014, German scientists used fruit flies’ strong sense of smell to detect cancer in humans. Flies have also been used in cancer treatment as test subjects. Flies are ideal for quickly and humanely testing out experimental treatments for patients because of their short lifespan and similarity to human nervous systems—and PETA hasn’t complained yet.^[1]

9 Beetles

Sometimes mistaken for roaches, beetles are used as a food source for a variety of people across the world. Beetles are the most diverse group of insects, so it makes sense that they have some of the most varied uses in medicine. Different types of beetles have been used in both traditional and modern medicine. Traditionally, beetles have been used in treatments to remove cysts and reduce fever and chills. They’ve been used topically to treat itching and eczema and were believed to improve blood circulation and relieve inflammation and menstrual bleeding.

More recently, researchers have used a blistering agent, cantharidin, found in beetles in medicines. In 1962 cantharidin was up for FDA approval but was denied due to a lack of data. Still, cantharidin, naturally found in certain species of beetles and hard to replicate, has been used by dermatologists to treat warts and other skin afflictions.^[2]

8 Worms

Too small to be considered snakes, but just as off-putting to some, even worms can save your life. For starters, worms have been found to be a valuable source of nutrients. Earthworms contain fats, free aminos, high levels of protein, and essential vitamins like iron and calcium. Yum! Traditionally, earthworms have been used everywhere from Laos to America (by Cherokee Indians) to China for every ailment from alopecia and bladder stones to rheumatic pain and jaundice.

Silkworms, though technically not worms (think moth worms and caterpillars), have also been playing a large role in medicine. Scientists in Japan were able to modify silkworms to produce collagen genetically. The collagen, which silkworms already produce in small amounts inside their cocoons, can be used for artificial skin and bones and cosmetic surgeries.^[3]

7 Termites

Finding out you have termites is always bad news for your home. But it turns out the little critters are good for more than chewing through wood. One of the most commonly consumed insects, second to only grasshoppers, termites have been used medicinally in several countries. In Brazil, the insect is used to cure asthma, influenza, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and whooping cough, to name a few ailments. They’re used in India to treat ulcers, body pain, and anemia. Zambia uses termites to treat child malnutrition, and the list goes on.

In Western medicine, scientists have been able to extract potent antimicrobial substances from termites. Scientists argue that these extracts could fight against viruses and bacteria that may be immune to other antibiotics. And all over the world, people munch on the maybe-not-so-delicious but highly nutritious termites as they are a potent source of protein.^[4]

6 Grasshoppers

Unlike the other bugs mentioned here, grasshoppers and other large hopping bugs of the sort—think crickets, locusts, and katydids—usually aren’t cause for much fanfare. But believe it or not, grasshoppers are a serious superfood! Allegedly with a taste similar to shrimp (will need someone to verify this ’cause eww), grasshoppers are high in protein and fat and have more antioxidants than fresh orange juice.

Grasshoppers can also serve as powerful diuretics, making them ideal for treating ailments like kidney disease and gastrointestinal diseases. Grasshoppers also contain a polysaccharide called chitin which helps fight against dangerous bacteria. And if all that isn’t enough, grasshoppers are easy to digest and can provide more energy than a bowl of Wheaties! Next time you’re looking for a healthy energy-filled breakfast, consider going out to the garden for some grasshoppers.^[5]

5 Ants

An entire article can probably be written about ants as they’re the stuff of legends: smaller, stronger, and much more plentiful than most other insects. When we talk about eating bugs for health benefits, ants are usually one of the first bugs that come to mind. But did you know that the health benefits of ants are so great that they’ve even been used to flavor alcohol to use as a medicine? Ant schnapps, anyone? No? That’s okay. There are so many different types of ants that you can get the medical advantages without eating or drinking them.

For example, red wood ants use formic acid to defend their nest and queen from predators, which can be used topically to heal skin ailments like warts. Leafcutter ants have developed pseudonocardia bacteria to help fight against the harmful fungus surrounding their colony. This evolved bacteria is a powerful antifungal that is used in medicine. Perhaps more practical than any other bug in medicine, ant heads were even used in traditional medicine as an alternative to stitches. Simply have the ant bite a wound closed and then twist off the head, leaving the body in place. Ants are such versatile insects that new medical uses for them are still being discovered today.^[6]

4 Leeches

We’ve already discussed worms, so now it’s time for their muscular parasitic cousin, leeches. You’ve seen them in movies—a character walks into a body of water and emerges with a fat blackish-red thing stuck to their face or dangling from their arm. But outside of cliché movie scares, leeches are so useful that leech therapy is still widely used in modern medicine. Leech saliva contains hirudin, an anticoagulant and antiplatelet agent that works to prevent blood clots and reduce the amount of congested blood in the tissues.

Because of their saliva, leech therapy is used in cosmetic and other microsurgeries to help prevent blood clotting and pooling around the tiny veins and cuts doctors must make. This can help prevent all sorts of medical complications, including amputation. Leech saliva has been used in medicine to treat hypertension, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, skin problems, and arthritis. Leech therapy has even been proven useful in patients with heart disease and cancer.^[7]

3 Spiders

Loved by some, hated by others. If they’re not catching other pests, spiders usually get a bad reputation for being more harmful than helpful. Which makes sense—they’re poisonous after all, right? Well, sure, but in most places—North America, for example—spider venom has evolved, so it’s most effective on the itty bitty bugs they prey on and not so effective on large mammals. In fact, even more than not being very harmful to humans at all, spider venom can have medical benefits. (Excluded in this statement: Australia. They have way too many killer spiders!)

While arachnid venom (think spiders, scorpions, and ticks) has been used in medicine for everything from cancer to heart disease, researchers have found ways that certain spider venoms stand apart from the rest when it comes to medicinal value. Spider venom targets the nervous system, paralyzing its victim. Researchers have found that medicine made from this venom can be used to target a human’s nervous system the same way, making it useful as pain medication. Other spider venom has been found to contain a protein that stops muscle cells from deteriorating, which could be used to treat a number of diseases that affect muscle mass and the ability to walk, move, or swallow.^[8]

2 Maggots

We already talked about their buzzing parents, but maggots get a section all to themselves. At some point, you may have hiked past a rotten animal carcass filled with millions of soon-to-be flies. Rotting flesh is a maggot’s favorite meal! A fly with a life span of 30 days will lay between 500 and 2000 eggs, about 20-70 eggs per day. While some maggots can truly be sinister—lookup bot fly larva for some good nightmares—some have surprising medicinal benefits.

One of the first times maggots were recorded as having a use in medicine was during World War I, when two soldiers with flesh wounds were stranded with no food or water for a week. The soldiers were expected to be found with fatally infected wounds. Instead, doctors found thousands of maggots in the wounds. Upon cleaning the maggots away, doctors found clean, uninfected wounds. After that, maggots were used widely in medicine to treat wounds until the 90s. Today researchers have begun studying the chemicals released from maggots as they remove dead flesh and have found that maggot secretions have useful antibiotic resistance.^[9]

1 Bees

Bees are the bees’ knees when it comes to life-saving insects: the queen bee, if you will. Their benefits are far-reaching, from the unending benefits of honey (seriously, honey does everything!) to the benefits of bee venom to bees literally pollinating plants to keep humans alive. Bees are a necessary, often overlooked, part of human life and a useful part of modern medicine. Let’s start with honey. This superfood made from the nectar of flowers and special enzymes from bees’ “honey” stomachs (yeah, bee vomit) can be used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial agent. It is commonly used to treat coughs and sore throats and can treat minor cuts and burns.

Even bees themselves can save lives. For one, the trees and plants that they help pollinate provide not only important food sources for humans but also provide us with oxygen. Even more, bee venom delivered through bee stings can be used to treat a variety of ailments. Apitherapy is an alternative medicine practice that uses bee venom to treat and prevent illnesses, pain, and more. Apitherapy capitalizes on the anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing properties found in bee venom and is used for things like rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain.^[10]

We’ve all been there—unless you’re under the age of 21 or don’t drink *respect*—we’ve all experienced the hangover from hell. Symptoms of a doomsday hangover include but are not limited to dry mouth, the spins, prolonged intoxication (depending on when you finally passed out versus woke up), and nausea.

No, I don’t know why we keep punishing ourselves, party after party, or why the hangover—une gueule de bois, la cruda—is a consequence we’re willing to suffer through. Perhaps getting “riggity-wrecked, son” is worth it, especially when humans have come up with innumerable ways to “cure” it. But there is no “cure” to a hangover, only a slow recovery filled with promises never to drink tequila again, regrets from the night before, and food.

Now, if you can manage to keep food down while processing your hangover, you’ll certainly want to choose what you eat wisely—and not for your figure, screw that. Though no food will cure your hangover, the right food will help prevent one and replenish your system to help you recover faster. And let’s face it, a greasy cheeseburger after a night of drinking does taste pretty good.

With that, let’s get into the top 10 foods that will cure (well, help prevent and recover from) a hangover.

Related: 10 Quenching Legends, Myths, And Stories Involving Alcohol

10 Yogurt

Yogurt, preferably vanilla or plain, is a stomach settler. If you’re hurtin’ the day after drinking, a spoonful, or bowlful if you can manage, can help ease an upset stomach, regulate blood sugar, and reduce bloat. The only thing is that yogurt has mixed reviews.

It’s all about how you feel waking up, thinking about putting sloppy white fermented dairy in your mouth. I mean, if you can psychologically come to terms with the benefits of eating yogurt with a hangover, it’ll do you right. But if not, it could end up pretty obscene.

9 Avocado Toast

Why are Millennials obsessed with avocado toast? Mostly because of food trends and because the fat from the guacamole and the carbs from the toast are great for a hangover body. It’s a popular boozy brunch item for a reason. And, unlike the burger, that fat in avocados is really good for you and can help bring some equilibrium to your upset stomach and body in general.

When you drink, you lose potassium. Potassium helps you regulate the fluid in your body, and when you don’t have enough of it, it can lead to dizzy spells, muscle spasms, and general weakness. Avocado has that potassium, girl! It is your hangover superfood, so get to know it well.

Don’t go full guac if you want to play the avocado game safe. The onions, cilantro, and citrus flavor could do the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve. Stick with an avocado mash with a bit of salt, olive oil, and a hint of lime.

8 Bloody Marys

The hair of the dog is a gross term that refers to a remedy that involves drinking more to help ease a hangover. Despite your standpoint on tomato juice, a Bloody Mary is a perfect hair of the dog option, which has, in recent years, become a full-blown meal.

The tomato juice, for one, is thick enough to make you full. Two, it is a good source of salt to help your electrolytes catch up and lycopene which is good for your heart. But we really want to talk about Bloody Marys because plenty of restaurants have decidedly gone over the top with edible garnish. It’s no longer a measly stick of celery anymore. You can get shrimp cocktail, bacon, stuffed olives for days! Not to mention that one restaurant in Long Beach, California (The Attic) serves Bloody Marys garnished with a quarter of a waffle, a fried egg, and a slider.

And, you don’t have to stick to vodka as your hair of the dog choice. You can get a Bloody Maria with tequila, a Red Snapper with gin and clamato juice, or go for a Michelada, which is a Mexican-style bloody beer with lime and salt (we suggest Modelo). A warning about tequila, though. Tequila can make a hangover worse because of its congener content. Ask them to go light on the booze.

7 Bananas

Sometimes you just don’t want to eat at all with a hangover, but you do have to eat something. When that’s the case, reach for a banana. Bananas are rich in potassium and can help restore fluid balance in your body, as mentioned before. They also contain magnesium, which can relax blood vessels, thereby reducing headaches, and are a source of B6. Vitamin B6 is still not a hangover cure, but it does a great job in reducing symptoms.

You may already be familiar with the B vitamin hangover cure. Again, there is no hangover cure. But B vitamins are an excellent energy source for the body, and the liver loves them. In particular, the liver will use the energy from B1, B2, B3, and B6 to help speed up the detoxification process.

6 Lemon Water

Okay, technically not a food, but definitely something you need to add to your remedy kit. As we know, our liver is a big player in flushing out toxins and is our friend when it comes to processing alcohol. Part of the reason we get hungover is also due to dehydration. Alcohol is a natural diuretic, making our kidneys flush out fluids faster.

Both water and lemon help the liver process alcohol and rehydrate us. Antioxidants found in the lemon peel can stimulate enzymes in the liver, and Vitamin C is good for your immune system in general. It won’t give you a huge amount of antioxidants, but it’ll be enough to help.

Simply slicing a lemon and putting it in your water won’t have the same effect as squeezing fresh lemon juice into your water, though. So give that lemon a good squeeze for maximum effect.

5 Salmon

Don’t go trying to cook fish when you’re half in the bag, and probably don’t order a Filet O’ Fish. Instead, eat some salmon before you drink. Salmon is rich in essential fatty acids, but the vitamin that we’re looking at here is B12. A serving of salmon contains about 50% of your daily recommended dose of B12.

When you drink, your B12 levels drop because alcohol can prevent the absorption of the vitamin from food. So pregaming with a food rich in it while free from inhibitors can help maintain those levels through the evening.

Fancy people will tell you to eat your salmon with some asparagus. Research suggests that asparagus helps prevent liver cell damage caused by alcohol. If anything, the study showed that it reduced inflammation in these cells. Sure, this study was conducted on a small scale and with rat cells, but there has to be some benefit that carries over to humans. Otherwise, what would be the point in conducting studies on animals to test the safety for humans?

4 Sweet Potatoes

Another pregaming food, sweet potatoes, has several benefits to them. First, they are more nutritious than white potatoes—although the jury is out on sweet potato fries (fried food is fried food). Second, they can be very filling, and since they help regulate blood sugar, they may prevent any crazy food cravings while you’re drunk. Third, and this was even new to me, sweet potatoes contain electrolytes! So yeah, maybe eat a sweet potato before you go out and after.

3 Pickles

Pickles aren’t just for pregnant women anymore; they are for the wasted and hungover. I’m really not too sure how well someone on the brink of throwing up would do with pickles—even pregnant, I had a hard time balancing morning sickness with the craving (yes, I was basic like that)–but the fact is that the salt content can help replenish electrolytes. Pickleback shots are gross, and you’d be missing the point. Just eat a gosh darn pickle.

2 Cheeseburger

Yes, we are reaching the end of this list with the almighty cheeseburger! I’m not sure if Impossible burger meat does the same thing, but heck, I’d take my chances. Between the protein and the fat, a cheeseburger will help absorb some of the alcohol in your stomach, so it doesn’t hit you as hard.

However, you should eat the burger before you start drinking, no matter what you think McDonald’s is telling you as you walk by the golden arches. If you eat a burger after drinking, it has the potential to make you sick to your stomach. The grease will only irritate your stomach.

1 Literally Anything

Eat. Before. You. Drink. Period. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bread basket, sushi, or an entire “pizza” from Domino’s. If you have a decent amount of food in your stomach before you start drinking, it’s going to give you a leg up in the game. Definitely go the fatty, salty, greasy route. Here, you’re allowed everything that the American Heart Association cringes at (unless you have an underlying condition). But please, eat something. You’re not 21 anymore. Don’t be an amateur.