Herbs For Intestinal Parasites

Intestinal parasites live within the intestines and the colon, feeding upon blood and the matter within the digestive system. Transmitted through contaminated food, direct contact with soil or through personal contact, parasites lay eggs that hatch within the intestines and a new infestation begins. More common in children and in areas where sanitation is poor, a parasite infection may cause diarrhea, nausea, cramping, weight loss and other symptoms. Your doctor should first diagnose the type of parasite, and then you may use herbal remedies in combination with your doctor's recommendations to treat intestinal parasites.

Herbs in the Diet

The Medical Center at the University of Maryland lists garlic and black walnuts as herbal foods that may rid the body of intestinal parasites. You may add fresh garlic to pasta, soups or spread it on buttered toast. Munch on black walnuts and add them to salads and baked goods.
Drinking food-grade aloe vera juice may assist in expelling intestinal worms, reports the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Other foods for intestinal parasites include lemons, orange peel, cloves, ginger, onions, curled mint, cranberry and pumpkin seeds (raw).

Supplements

Many herbs are available in supplement form from health food stores. While not all herbal supplements are effective for all types of intestinal parasites, beneficial ones may include wormwood, barberry, goldenseal, butternut root bark, tansy, pinkroot, palmarosa and male fern. A qualified herbalist or a doctor of naturopathy should recommend a dosage based upon your specific needs.

Herbal Teas

Made by pouring boiling water over the fresh or dried herb and allowing it to steep for a few minutes before drinking, some herbal teas may assist in ridding the body of intestinal parasites. Beneficial herbs may include sage, wood betony, ginger, goldenseal, fennel and wormwood.
Mother Nature.com suggests elecampane tea, made by simmering 1 tsp. of the herb in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Drink one to three cups daily.
You may add a few drops of an herbal tincture to a cup of water, hot or cold, to make an herbal drink that may help rid the body of intestinal parasites. Tinctures that may help include punica granatum bark, citrin and brassica oleracea, advises Gale. An herbalist can recommend dosage amounts based upon your weight and the type of intestinal parasite.