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Human helminth care manual: Difference between revisions
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C Vitamin C]. This [http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/conversations/topics/7583 does not harm helminths]. | * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C Vitamin C]. This [http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/conversations/topics/7583 does not harm helminths]. | ||
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==== ⚡ Spices and culinary herbs ==== | |||
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* ❓ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida Asafoetida] has been used as an anthelminthic in traditional medicine in several parts of the world [link] but there has only been one report to date of its use by someone hosting therapeutic helminths, and this user says that he hasn’t noticed any ill effect on his hookworms after occasionally consuming foods that list asafoetida as an ingredient. | |||
* ⚡ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper Black pepper] (Piper nigrum). This is often used as an ingredient in proprietary parasite cleanses due to its established antiparasitic effects. It could therefore have an adverse effect on human helminths, though this is likely to be dependent on the dosage and on the form taken. So, while use of the whole spice in small quantities as a condiment is unlikely to present a problem, taking medicinal quantities of black pepper may harm helminths. | |||
* ⚡ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayenne Cayenne] (Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum annuumis). This is claimed to irritate parasites, and often appears as an ingredient in proprietary parasite cleansing products for pets and humans, but there has only been one report so far of an adverse effect on helminths, and this was from someone who says that even a smidgen of cayenne causes her to lose the benefits from her worms. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/1062770903778864/?comment_id=1063030367086251&reply_comment_id=1063315093724445&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R1%22%7D] | |||
* ✅ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper Chili pepper] (chile, chilli). While this is used worldwide as a treatment of certain parasites, and has been demonstrated effective against fascioliasis in animals, evidence that chili might be a problem for therapeutic helminths is lacking, and one hookworm host has been reported[https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/892904287432194/?comment_id=892912737431349&offset=0&total_comments=7&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R0%22%7D] to have eaten a HUGE amount of chile during 4 years as a worm host, without any obvious adverse effect on his colony. | |||
* ⚡ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon Cinnamon] is antimicrobial, as well as being claimed to be effective against parasites, including some parasitic worms, and it appears in lists of ingredients in proprietary parasite cleansing products. The main antimicrobial component of cinnamon is cinnamaldehyde, and this is most concentrated in cinnamon essential oil and cinnamon oleoresins (solid resin extracts produced using solvents) which can be very high in cinnamaldehyde. Forms containing somewhat less '''cinnamaldehyde''' are raw cinnamon, and cinnamon tinctures which are dissolved in alcohol and about half the strength of raw cinnamon. As cinnamaldehyde is steam-volatile and not water soluble, aqueous extracts of cinnamon should contain less of this substance, and dehydrated/powdered extracts (the form most likely to be encountered in dietary supplements) may contain little, if any at all, so should be less of a threat to helminths. Generally, the stronger the taste, the more cinnamaldehyde is likely to be present. Whilst there has been one report of someone with helminths relapsing after taking an unspecified supplement containing cinnamon, the raw spice should be [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/conversations/messages/8799 safe for use in cooking]. | |||
* ⚡ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove Clove] (Syzygium aromaticum/Eugenia caryophyllus). Clove oil, which was used traditionally to kill intestinal worms and is claimed to anesthetize fish, contains several powerful antimicrobial agents. While one of these, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenol eugenol], is claimed to be anthelminthic, its use didn't produce any loss of benefit in one helminth host who applied it liberally to a dry socket following a difficult tooth extraction, and this was in spite of swallowing and breathing eugenol and a related compound called guaiacol. | |||
* ✅ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). Fennel seed has a long history of use against pinworms and other parasites, with some authorities suggesting that the herb digests parasite eggs and intoxicates parasites. The leaves and oil are both used as dewormers, but one subject reports [http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/conversations/topics/7627 no adverse effect] from repeated consumption of dietary amounts of fennel seeds and another has reported [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/544122108977082/ no loss of worm benefits] after consuming significant quantities of fennel. | |||
* ✅ Garlic (Allium sativum). Garlic oil extract has shown anthelminthic effects against Schistosoma mansoni in mice [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1995764515002011] and allicin, the active principle of garlic extract, has also been shown to have anthelminthic properties, although one hookworm host has reported that taking a stabilized allicin extract for several weeks did not kill her worms. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/859756094080347/?comment_id=1146360268753260&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R3%22%7D] Alcoholic extracts of garlic have also shown ‘moderate’ anthelmintic activity against the human roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, in test tube studies[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1158424]. However, the exact amount of garlic needed to kill intestinal parasites in humans has not been established. Some sources suggest 1,000 - 4,000 mg per day, using concentrated garlic capsules or tablets, and fresh garlic is said to be more effective than capsules. While chewing three cloves of garlic each day is recommended by some online sources as a treatment for ‘parasites’ in humans, hookworms may in fact be able to withstand up to 21 grams (approximately 10 cloves) of garlic per day. So garlic may actually not be very effective as a killer of mature worms, and its main anthelminthic effect [http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19722900736.html;jsessionid=F91F029C9C83A8E28BD028ED3D6FA7A4 may be to reduce the viability of ova]. Cooking may reduce its effect against parasite eggs and larvae, and neither cooked or raw garlic appears to have any adverse effect on the efficacy of a therapeutic hookworm colony. | |||
* ⚡ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger Ginger] (Zingiber officinale) contains a chemical called zingibain (aka. zingipain, or ginger protease) that has been claimed to dissolve some parasites and their eggs. One subject has reported that fresh ginger drinks depress the egg production of his worms and increase his symptoms, and another has reported that eating a LOT of ginger 6 weeks post-inoculation caused her side effects to disappear for a few days, but that these eventually returned. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/892594554129834/?comment_id=892620007460622&offset=0&total_comments=7&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R2%22%7D] Someone else, who said that his favorite brand of ginger beer was “pretty spicy”, so was probably made from raw, or only very briefly pasteurized, ginger juice, reported that, after going on a fairly significant binge of the stuff, his worms stopped producing eggs and their benefits diminished. Yet another worm host, who was putting at least a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger in a smoothie every day, believes this was responsible for actually killing her hookworms. However, one subject has reported eating lots of fresh ginger (mostly cooked) without any problems [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/892594554129834/?comment_id=892652814124008&offset=0&total_comments=5&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R%22%7D], two others have reported that eating cooked ginger appears to have had no adverse effect on their worms [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/conversations/topics/7627], [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/544122108977082/] and one hookworm host says that she regularly takes dried ginger in 1g doses to help with migraines and has not noticed any problems with her worms. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/1062770903778864/?comment_id=1062777610444860&reply_comment_id=1062782733777681&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R%22%7D] | |||
* ⚡ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum Holy basil] (Ocimum tenuiflorum, also known as Ocimum sanctum, tulsi and tulasi/thulasi) is claimed online to be antiparasitic. There is also evidence showing that its essential oil has potent anthelmintic activity against the research worm, C. elegans, [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11543966] and it has shown some activity against the malaria parasite, [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21643655] but this does not necessarily mean that it would harm therapeutic helminths. Eating the raw plant, or drinking tea made from it, may be harmless to human helminths, and one host of both hookworms and human whipworms has reported that she used to drink the tea and eat fresh leaves without issue. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/872768092779147/?comment_id=872772372778719&offset=0&total_comments=2&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R0%22%7D] However, extracts, tinctures and concentrates of holy basil should be treated with caution. | |||
* ❓ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseradish Horseradish] (Amoracia rusticana) has been claimed to be antiparasitic, and it does contain volatile oils, notably [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_oil mustard oil], which has antibacterial properties and is used as an antiparasitic by some farmers, but evidence about the effects of its use by helminth hosts is lacking. | |||
* ❓ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_(condiment) Mustard]. This condiment is claimed to be effective against intestinal worms, including roundworms and threadworms and, in India, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_oil mustard oil] is used as an antiparasitic by some farmers. However, its action is probably more as a laxative that helps to flush out worms rather than to kill them, and hookworms spend much of their time firmly attached to the gut mucosa. Reports about the use of mustard by helminth hosts are lacking. | |||
* ➿ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano Oregano leaf] (Origanum vulgare). One host of both hookworms and whipworms has reported that there was no immediate effect on his worms when he applied a heavy sprinkling of oregano leaf powder to his food a couple of times in a day. But then he was plunged into such a self-critical and depressed mood that he struggled to do any work for several days, before eventually regaining his usual mental balance. ❌[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano_oil%23Medicinal Oregano oil], which contains isomeric phenols (primarily carvacrol but also including thymol and limonene), can destroy a number of bacteria, fungi and viruses in dilutions as low as 1/50,000, and is also antiparasitic. It is reported to be effective against protozoan parasites in particular as well as roundworm larvae, and somewhat effective against tapeworms. In one study[http://www.chirochat.org/article_files/Article-2953.pdf], 57 per cent of adults with intestinal parasites who were treated with 600 mg of oregano oil daily for six weeks experienced total eradication of their parasites. Several hosts of therapeutic helminths have reported adverse effects on their worms after ingesting oregano oil and, in at least two cases, it resulted in a total loss of worms. However, one subject, who took oil of wild oregano sublingually twice each day for 2 weeks had a stool test sometime after this that was positive for hookworms, so perhaps the sublingual route helped reduce the effect on the worms in this case. Some foods, particularly soft cheeses, may be coated with an [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141127082311.htm antimicrobial film incorporating oregano oil] to increase their lifespan, but the amount of oregano involved in this application is unlikely to be a serious threat to helminths. | |||
* ✅ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyme Thyme] (Thymus vulgaris). This is also known as Common Thyme, Garden Thyme. Extracts of the leaves, flowering tops and stems are used to kill hookworms, roundworms, threadworms and skin parasites. However, these are unlikely to harm helminths when eaten in reasonable amounts as part of a normal diet. One helminth host has [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/544122108977082/ eaten significant quantities of thyme] without noticing any adverse effect on her hookworm or whipworm populations. | |||
* ✅ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric Turmeric] (Curcuma longa), also known as tumeric or ⚡[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcumin curcumin]. Turmeric generally does not harm human helminths when eaten occasionally in normal dietary quantities in its natural, whole form, which only contains 3% of the active ingredient, curcumin. [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/conversations/topics/7627], [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/544122108977082/] There has only been one report of food quantities of turmeric affecting hookworms [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/1084044901651464/?comment_id=1084640204925267&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R%22%7D] and the more usual response is exemplified by another hookworm host who was able to take 350 mg in a supplement daily for many months, as well as eating a reasonable amount in her diet, without any problems. There is much more chance of helminths being harmed when curcumin is taken medicinally as a standardised extract, and it has been reported that 300 mg of the extract has killed some types of parasites in test tube and animal studies, and that it may temporarily reduce the number of helminth eggs produced. One hookworm host believes[https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/792892197433404/?comment_id=794226897299934&offset=0&total_comments=11] that she may have lost her colony as a result of taking a curcumin supplement, although another hookworm host has reported[https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/792892197433404/] experiencing a very enjoyable “bounce” after inoculating with only 5 larvae, in spite of taking 250 mg of curcumin daily. Yet another subject has reported[https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/819496561439634/?comment_id=819767881412502&offset=0&total_comments=5&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R0%22%7D] taking 500 mg of curcumin daily for the first 5 days after inoculation without doing any apparent harm to her new colony of 30 NA larvae, although they may have been protected at this stage in their development because they would not yet have been feeding from their host’s blood. The effect of curcumin may depend to some extent on the strength of the individual host’s immune response, as well as on the form of curcumin used. [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141106113204.htm Nano-emulsified curcumin] appears to be more effective, therapeutically, so may also have an increased impact on helminths. Another high-potency form of curcumin is BCM-95, which has been shown[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792534/] to be 6.93 times more bioavailable than normal curcumin, and this product may have been responsible for a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/htsupport/permalink/792892197433404/?comment_id=808508489205108&offset=0&total_comments=21&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22:%22R1%22%7D sudden return of disease symptoms] for one hookworm host. The beneficial effect of curcumin can be increased 5- to 10-fold [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814612001744 by adding ascorbic acid] (vitamin C) so taking this vitamin along with curcumin might increase its adverse effect on helminths, but may also make it possible to use curcumin therapeutically in much smaller doses. | |||
* ❓ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Turmeric Turmeric, Wild] (Curcuma aromatica). While alcoholic extracts of the rhizomes of wild turmeric have shown ‘moderate’ anthelmintic activity against the human roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, in [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1158424 test tube studies] and extracts of the rhizomes may therefore also have an adverse effect on other helminths, it is likely that consuming dietary amounts of this spice will do no harm to human helminths, though this has not yet been confirmed. | |||
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