Folk Remedies for Parasites

A parasite is an organism that lives off a host. Most parasites don't care if they kill their host, like malaria, but others, like parasitic worms, prefer to hang on as long as possible, especially if you're healthy and well nourished.

Think parasites are something for the third world? Well, you'd be wrong. Parasites are all around us. They live in our beds, on our pets, in our hair, in our blood and even in our intestines. However, there are a few folk remedies you can try if you find yourself troubled by these smallest of pests.

Sweet Wormwood

• Sweet wormwood, also known as artemisinin, has been used to kill malaria, but it also works against intestinal worms. Artemisinin attaches to the iron molecule in the malaria parasite. Malaria lives within the red blood cell and is especially vulnerable to the action of artemisinin. This also kills worms in our intestines by cutting off their blood supply.

Papaya

• In tropical regions, green papaya juice is used to kill worms and parasites. The green juice has powerful digestive enzymes, strong enough to dissolve meat. This substance works by digesting the invading buggers.

Diatomaceous Earth

• For parasites living on the skin, in the bed or on the carpet, an effective nontoxic folk remedy is diatomaceous earth. This powder consists of microscopic organisms called diatoms that have fossilized. For small animals like bugs, worms, lice, ticks and other parasites, this powdery substance brings certain death. For them it is like swallowing or rolling around in razor blades. Diatomaceous earth has the power to grind up any sucking, soft-bodied creature. Nothing can happen to humans, though. We're much too big to be affected.