Parasite Cleanse Ingredients

There are a wide variety of herbal parasite cleanses on the market, each with a slightly different formulation of ingredients intended to remove parasites from the intestinal tract. The vast majority of these, however, rely on four anti-parasitic herbs that have been mainstays of herbal medicine for thousands of years.

Black Walnut

• The green hulls of the black walnut are powerfully aromatic. As they age, they become more and more rich in elemental iodine, staining all they touch a dark color. It is a combination of both the natural iodine and aromatic oils in the walnut hulls that impart walnut hulls with their anti-parasitic properties. They are most effective when prepared and administered as a tincture.

Artemisia

• Both mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) have a long history in European and Chinese herbalism. They are rich in both aromatic oils and bitter principles that are toxic to a wide species of intestinal parasites. They are among the most effective, broad-spectrum anthelmintics available to contemporary herbalists. They are, however, extremely bitter; for this reason it is best to take them in capsule form.

Cloves

• Cloves, while largely ineffective in expelling mature intestinal parasites, are still a popular additive in parasite cleanses. Since many parasites will not hatch in an inclement environment, it can be difficult to get rid of them with artemisia and black walnut hulls alone. At least two cycles of treatment are usually required. Cloves, however, are able to kill the eggs of several species of intestinal parasites, often eliminating the need for multiple courses of treatment.

Pumpkin Seeds

• Tapeworms can often prove to be particularly difficult to eliminate. Tapeworm infestation, if nonresponsive to other vermifuges, can often be successfully treated with pumpkin seed. Pumpkin seed, like mugwort and wormwood, has been used to expel parasites by Chinese medical doctors for thousands of years. Today, they are still one of the gentlest and most effective treatments available.