How to Treat Pinworms with Herbal Remedies
Pinworms, or threadworms (enterobius vermicularis), are the most common parasitic worm, infecting approximately 500 million children worldwide. Pinworms are white worms that are one-quarter of an inch in length and live around the upper part of the colon, feeding on intestinal contents, according to Kevin Pederson of Home-Remedies-for-You.com. When a mature female pinworm lays eggs, she migrates from the intestine to the anal region.
The most common symptom of pinworm infections is anal itching, but pinworms can also cause more serious problems in children, including loss of appetite, insomnia, bed wetting, weight loss, appendicitis, nausea and vomiting, Pederson says.
Although you should always consult a doctor before trying any worm treatment, you can try the following herbal remedies to get rid of pinworms.
Things You'll Need
- Garlic
- Vaseline
- 6 to 7 lupine seeds
- Lukewarm water
- Papaya, watermelon and pumpkin seeds
- Bitter melon (bitter gourd, karela)
Instructions
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Follow These Steps to Get Rid of Pinworms the Natural Way
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Combat pinworm infections with good hygiene. The most important key to preventing pinworm infections from spreading--and helping to eliminate pinworms--is impeccable hygiene. Keep your child's anal area as clean as possible. Pour water on the anal area or wipe your child's bottom with a wet cloth, Pederson advises. Just make sure to wash the cloth and your hands thoroughly after use.
Also, you must keep your child's bed linens and clothing (especially undergarments) clean and wash them thoroughly, warns FatFreeKitchen.com.
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Eat a few small garlic cloves daily or add the garlic cloves to your meals, recommends Pederson. Garlic is a common natural remedy to combat pinworms. "Grind garlic to make a paste and mix less than one-half pinch of it with Vaseline. Apply this on the anal region to deal with the itchiness and kill the eggs," he advises.
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Use cloves in every meal, recommends FatFreeKitchen.com. Cloves will help kill the parasite eggs in the intestinal tract.
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Add six to seven lupine seeds to a glass of lukewarm water, offers GoHerbalRemedies.com. Drink this concoction at least four or five times a day to eliminate pinworms from your digestive tract. "It works slowly but efficiently in fighting this parasitic infection," according to GoHerbalRemedies.com.
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Consume a diet of papaya and watermelon and pumpkin seeds, GoHerbalRemedies.com advises.
To eliminate pinworms, you can also try eating bitter melon (bitter gourd, karela), says FatFreeKitchen.com.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep fingernails short to reduce the spread of pinworms. Because pinworm eggs cause intense itching around the rectum area, your child is likely to pick up many eggs under his fingernails, says Pederson. Once under the fingernails, the eggs are "easily transferred back to the stomach through the mouth where they hatch and again migrate to the rectum." This is why keeping your and your child's nails trimmed is essential, Pederson stresses. Long fingernails make it easier for the eggs to hide beneath them. Check the whole family for infection. If your child has a pinworm infection, be on alert for symptoms in yourself, other family members, and especially other children in your household. "The eggs can pass to others through air or by contact with infected food," according to FatFreeKitchen.com. "The eggs are not affected by disinfectants," and they can be passed from person to person by direct contact or through sharing food or toys.
Don't start an herbal treatment without first consulting a medical professional. Especially at the first occurrence of a pinworm infection, you should have a medical professional treat the infection, says GoHerbalRemedies.com. You can, however, use herbal remedies in support of the medicinal treatment.
