Natural Ways to Get Rid of Worms

There are a number of natural remedies for removing intestinal worms that have been used successfully for thousands of years. In traditional Chinese medicine, pumpkin seeds and mugwort are popular anti-parasitic herbs; North American herbalists have generally used liquid extracts of the green hulls of black walnuts. Cloves have become popular with the discovery that they can kill the eggs of intestinal worms.

Artemisia

• Both mugwort and wormwood are used as anthelmintic remedies in European and Chinese herbalism. Their aromatic oils and bitter principles are effective against a broad-spectrum of species of intestinal worms. They are among the most versatile of the natural vermifuges. They are extremely bitter, making them unpalatable for children and many adults unless taken in capsule form.

Black Walnut

• Tincture made from the aromatic fresh, green hulls of the black walnut is perhaps the best-known of anti-parasitic remedies. They become richer in elemental iodine as they age, losing much of their potency and staining all they touch a dark color. The vermifugal properties of the hulls are due to the combination of both the natural iodine and aromatic oils. Although more economical, the dried, encapsulated herb is not as effective as the tincture.

Pumpkin Seeds

• Although artemisia species and black walnut hulls are effective against most intestinal worm species, tapeworms can often prove resistant. If a tapeworm infestation cannot be eliminated with other other remedies, it may be possible to remove them with pumpkin seeds. Like mugwort and wormwood, pumpkin seeds have a long history of use as anti-parasitic herb in Chinese medicine. They are still one of the gentlest and most effective of natural treatments.

Cloves

• Cloves are ineffective in expelling mature intestinal worms. They are, however, the only natural remedy for killing the eggs of intestinal worms. Since many parasites will not hatch when there are poisons in the intestinal environment, it can be difficult to get rid of them with a single cycle of the remedies above; at least two cycles of treatment are usually required. The co-administration of cloves with either artemisia or black walnut, however, can often eliminate the need for multiple courses of treatment.