How to Use Papaya Seeds for Parasites: An Anti-Parasitic Smoothie Recipe

I want to thank everyone who has commented and shared their experiences on this page. Unfortunately the number and detail of the comments this page has had is apparently slowing it down. That doesn’t help new people find it so I’ve decided to close comments here and continue the discussion at this page – https://superfoodprofiles.com/papaya-enzyme-side-effects-warnings

Please remember that, as it says at the bottom of every page on Superfood Profiles, nothing on this page should be considered direct advice. Please seek out a knowledgeable healthcare professional who has experience dealing with parasites if you believe you have a serious infection.

Unfortunately, as many commenters have found, the parasite problem is not widely understood by mainstream GPs. Here is a list of physicians who offer clinical consultative service in Tropical Medicine and Medical Parasitology – http://www.astmh.org/source/ClinicalDirectory/

Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic practitioners may have a better understanding of how to treat parasites but it would be worth asking them some questions on the phone to check just how knowledgeable they are on the subject. This site has a search function that may be helpful – http://www.alternativesforhealing.com/cgi_bin/practitioner_home.php

Wishing everyone dealing with this problem the best in their healing. I’ll continue to answer any questions to the best of my ability on the page linked above, but ultimately I’d recommend researching your options from a variety of sources, read what’s working for others and come up with a plan that fits with your own personal situation. As always, knowledge combined with action is powerful.

Thank you for you’re comment Brandon. I like to highlight interesting studies but also feel that papaya seeds are something people can use and experience the positive effects of themselves. It’s important to start off slowly though for anyone who has never used them before.

Hi Jason and thanks for your question.

Fresh out of the papaya would be best. If you’re eating them regularly you can keep the seeds in the fridge for several days for an ongoing supply. Though as with anything that has a strong effect like papaya seeds taking the occasional week off them completely would be a good idea.

Believe people dry them primarily for storage purposes rather than enhancing their effect. The previous page has details on how to dry them out and make a papaya seed pepper. These days I tend to just scoop out the entire center with the seeds and freeze it for future use in the smoothie above.

1/4 of a cup of papaya seeds does sound like a lot to me personally, probably too much for someone who has never had them before. I’d recommend starting off slower and working up to the higher amounts, taking into account how your body feels in the hours afterwards.

My feeling, and what seems to work well for me and others I’ve spoken to, is smaller but more regular use of anti-parasite superfoods to make the intestinal environment much more difficult for parasites over a longer period. This takes into account their breeding cycle as well. Dr Group has more on this in the last link on the page if you’re interested.

I think you’d find the combination of foods in the smoothie recipe above more effective than just honey (and certainly more palatable). Raw honey like Manuka with it’s antibacterial/antimicrobial properties would be a good addition though.

Hope this helps and I’d be interested to hear your results if you try using papaya seeds for this.

Hi Linda. Thanks for your question. Apparently worms are often visible after an effective parasite cleanse but many other forms are too small to usually be detected.

The CureZone forums have a large archive of people’s experiences with parasitic problems and treatments but I’d recommend keeping any reading of those well away from mealtimes!

Hi Agnes.

I couldn’t really advise for pets like cats and dogs as they have a much shorter digestive system and don’t know how papaya seeds would affect them.

I have read that fresh or canned pumpkin is great for dogs with digestive problems. There’s much more on it in the vegetable superfoods section.

Hi Meech. That’s quite a strong reaction. I haven’t read of anyone experiencing that before but I’d recommend starting out with the smaller doses of papaya seeds in https://superfoodprofiles.com/eating-papaya-seeds-digestive-health before using the larger amounts in this smoothie.

Unripe pineapple can be quite acidic so I wonder if this could have contributed to it as well.

Thank you for the great comment Patrice! I agree it would be horrifying to have that come out. But I’d have to think soon after also very relieving.

You were right to trust your instincts on this. Unfortunately not many doctors have experience in dealing with parasites and I’ve read of many people expressing the same thoughts about it being hard to find experts on the subject.

It seems the combination of the herbal cleanse and the ingredients in the papaya seed smoothie made your intestinal environment a place this parasite didn’t want to be any more (and possibly other smaller ones you didn’t detect as well). Considering how tenacious ones this developed are said to be this is a great result.

Could I ask a couple of questions? What was the name or the main ingredients of the herbal parasite cleanse you used in conjunction? Also, how long after drinking the papaya seed smoothie for the 3rd time did the tapeworm come out?

I really appreciate your feedback.

Thank you for sharing this information Patrice. I hope this will help other people out there as well.

Black Walnut Hull and Clove are often primary ingredients in these formulas and pumpkin seeds for parasites I’ve written about before on this site.

The Oxy Powder really works but I wouldn’t take it before going out for the day. I usually have it before bed and let it get to work overnight. Good probiotics like the Latero Flora are also really important after a cleanse like this.

I really hope you do get the results your looking for. It sounds like you’ve already come along way. Makes me think though of how many other people out there are suffering from unexplained symptoms caused by parasites that have no idea of what’s going on in their body.

Hi Mina. There doesn’t seem to have been a great deal of investigation done into whether the underdeveloped seeds are as potent for parasite cleansing purposes. I believe they would still be a great source of the protein digesting enzyme papain (as is green papaya), but perhaps not as powerful against parasites. The larger black seeds from the bigger papayas do seem to have a bit of a stronger effect than the same amount of the smaller ones. Please let us know if you do decide to use them whether you find them effective. Perhaps if you keep going with the treatment look for a large papaya and use it just as it is starting to turn from green to orange.

Hi Ilzo and thanks for your question. I’ve used papaya seeds in smoothies for several days in a week for many weeks at a time and found them very beneficial and cleansing. It is recommended to not use the castor oil mentioned above as a laxative for more than seven days in a row though. I’d also suggest starting off with a smaller amount and building up to a larger doses.

Someone who was concerned about a possible parasite problem could make the smoothie recipe up for 3-4 days initially, or perhaps two weekends in a row, and then have it once or twice a week for the rest of the month. Then again, a person who was fairly sure they had parasites might want to use it more regularly. With any potentially powerful treatment like this it’s really important to listen to your body and how it is making you feel. Some initial brain fog and lethargy from parasite die off is commonly reported with successful parasite treatments but after going to the bathroom you should be feeling better. Discontinue using them if this is not the case.

If it’s your first time using papaya seeds I’d suggest trying them first as a digestive aid in the smaller amounts suggested here – https://superfoodprofiles.com/eating-papaya-seeds-digestive-health If this is well tolerated you could start using them in the larger amounts in the papaya smoothie. While several days of continual use does have its benefits, overall a longer treatment time with breaks in between is likely to be the most effective.

Hi Sunja. I don’t think they need to be too finely ground. Just crushed up so the outer shell is broken. The reason I like using them in my smoothies is because my blender chops them up well and with all the other ingredients I don’t even notice them. Having papaya seeds on their own is something many people would struggle to do regularly as the taste is pretty strong.

I don’t have any reason to believe that I have parasites anymore but still use the seeds. They are also rich in protein digesting enzymes and could be thought of as an occasional intestinal cleanser and preventative. Starting off slowly with smaller amounts and taking breaks in between using anything like this is always a good idea, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t try using them whether you believe you have parasite symptoms or not.

Thanks for your comment DHK. I hope papaya seeds work for you. Interestingly, I’m just sitting here drinking a version of this smoothie as I type this. Remember to start off slowly to see how well your body tolerates them.

That’s great to hear. I agree with continuing for a week and would then suggest having a week or two off before repeating the treatment that worked for you. As long as the papaya seeds remain well tolerated, it could be worth doing another 4 days for a third time in around a month from the first time you had them. The reason for this is that I’ve been reading more about parasites breeding cycles and it seems their eggs often survive even when the adults are killed. By doing it this way you’ve got a better chance of getting rid of any that were just eggs the first time around. Hope this helps and thank you for coming back to comment. It’s much appreciated.

Hi and thanks for your question. I think it’s worth doing a cleanse like this for anyone having intestinal issues (which is probably a fairly large percentage of the population with how we eat these days). Even when you are eating healthily, all of my research points to parasites being a far more common problem than most people, doctors and nutritionalists included, realize and all too easy to pick up unfortunately.

I’d suggest it would be worth discussing first with your health practitioner if you are being treated for digestive problems, especially issues like ulcers, IBS or leaky gut syndrome.

I’m also a big believer in starting off with a small dose and building up the amount you taking, all the while being very aware of what you’re body is telling you. With papaya seeds, someone who had never had them before would be best off starting with just a teaspoon, or even half a teaspoon and seeing how their body tolerates them. If you have a blender then making up any kind of smoothie with a teaspoon of the seeds would be a good start. This page has some other suggestions on how to use them to improve digestion – https://superfoodprofiles.com/eating-papaya-seeds-digestive-health

On the good bacteria question, it seems papain, the primary digestive enzyme in papaya seeds, actually helps improve your good bacteria balance. This is a quote from the Simon Clinic’s website about papain enzymes – “Papain can also normalize the intestinal balance of friendly bacteria and prevent symbiosis by maintaining proper intestinal acidity. An acid environment sustains “friendly” vitamin and antibiotic producing bacteria whilst creating a hostile environment for invading opportunistic pathogens like the yeast Candida albicans”.

If you do decide to try the treatment I’d suggest you’d get maximum benefit from your pro-biotics by taking them a couple of hours after the smoothie. Hope it all goes well for you and please let us know your results.

Hi Ionela and thanks for your comment. I’d have to suggest checking this with a health care professional first, ideally one who is aware of the serious problems parasites can cause. In the pubmed study near the start of the page 60 Nigerian children with evidence of intestinal parasites were treated with papaya seed extract but it makes sense to be extra careful when treating children as their digestive systems may be more sensitive. Additionally, there are many other health problems that could be behind his symptoms, though parasites may well be a candidate.

I really think it would be a good idea to take him to a holistic practitioner, perhaps talk to them first and let them know that you suspect parasites and get their reaction. If they don’t seem to have much knowledge on it I’d keep looking for someone who does.

In the meantime the foods in the smoothie without the papaya seeds are known to help remove parasites and may help your son if you add more of them to his diet. Fresh papaya and pineapple and both good and eating large amounts of shredded coconut in particular is often recommended.

If the practitioner you see thinks it’s ok you could try the smoothie with a smaller amount of the papaya seeds, perhaps only a teaspoon rather than the suggested tablespoon, but be very aware of his reaction to it and stop if he has any problems with it beyond the likely regular bathroom trips.

Another option would be the Paratrax treatment which is gentler and may be easier for him to take – https://superfoodprofiles.com/go/paratrax-global-healing-center

Hope this helps.

Hi Alta and thanks for writing. It sounds like you really need to find a good holistic practitioner that is open to restoring your health with methods that may be outside of a regular doctors training. 20 years is way too long.

Good probiotics should help once you resolve the underlying problems but they’re unlikely to resolve them on their own. Also, stools tests will only pick up parasites if they are specifically testing for them (and apparently not always even then as they are very good at staying where they are unless we make the intestinal environment unsuitable for them).

I’d really suggest seeking out a good holistic practitioner to work with. This site has a search function http://www.alternativesforhealing.com/cgi_bin/practitioner_home.php or try searching for holistic practitioner + parasites + your area.

It’s important to talk on the phone with them before making the appointment to sound out their level of understanding and experience with the symptoms you are having and the possibility of parasites. If they rubbish the idea or quickly change the topic I’d look elsewhere. Unfortunately this serious health issue still isn’t that well understood by many.

Another option is a good traditional Chinese herbalist. Many people on forums report a lot of success with TCM treatments. Some of their methodologies may be a bit foreign to you but they’ve been healing people for a few thousand years longer than ‘conventional’ medicine and most will understand the parasite problem.

Hope this helps.

Hi Alta. Interestingly Dr Oz mentions using papaya seeds along with wormwood and garlic. The tinctures are usually much stronger than the teas and can contain other ingredients like clove. Often different herbs and work in different ways so it can be good to hit the nasties from various sides. Wormwood is said to paralyze worms whereas compounds in papaya seeds can break down their protective membranes.

Since you’ve been dealing with this for so long though I really think it’s worth seeing a good holistic practitioner or Chinese herbalist and coming up with a plan based on a proper assessment of what you’re going through. It may be that you need to start off a bit slower and build up your strength before bringing out the big guns like this papaya seed smoothie. I really hope you can get this cleared up. All the best.

Hi Jen and thanks for your comments.

Yes papaya seeds are potent. I used to eat them by the teaspoon but am much happier with them in the smoothie with all the other complementary ingredients.

It’s natural for kids to play and pick up things so don’t blame yourself for that. It generally helps build their immunity but it sounds like it’s worth getting it checked out.

I’d like to be able to recommend the papaya seeds or some of the other intestinal parasite clearing herbs but am hesitant when it comes to younger children and especially children breast feeding and feel it’s important to see a specialist that understands the parasite problem in these cases. If they think it’s ok, and you could show them the Nigerian children study at the top of the page, I’d start with a much smaller amount, perhaps just half a teaspoon to see the reaction and possibly build up from there. Again, I can’t recommend it myself without getting a children’s specialists opinion. Adults that are generally in good health can usually do well from these type of stronger treatments but it’s harder to predict with children.

Some foods that could be helpful along with the pumpkin seeds you already mentioned are pineapple and the papaya fruit, garlic (if you can get kids to eat it) and both shredded coconut and coconut oil. The pumpkin seeds tend to work best blended up like the recipe on this page on an empty stomach for breakfast so this could be a good alternative – https://superfoodprofiles.com/pumpkin-seeds-parasites-intestinal-worms

Hope this helps.

Hi Jen. I think it helps to get the crap out and movements will probably be a bit different for a day or two after. A lady above had black so pale yellowish, as long as it goes back to normal in a few days.

That said, and not wanting to worry you, yellow stools are said to sometimes indicate the presence of Giardia parasites. Ideally you’d want them to return to normal after making up this treatment. The Global Healing Center website that I’ve linked to at the end of the article has lots of information about maintaining a healthy digestive system, including what different colored stools mean.

Hope this helps.

Hi Shafiq and sorry to hear you have been dealing with this for so long. It would be wise to discuss taking the smoothie with your doctor and if you do decide to use it to have it well away from any other medications. First thing in the morning is most effective followed by the castor oil above.

Pumpkin seeds, pineapple and especially papaya seeds are all recommended for pinworms so I would think this smoothie should help your situation. Due to the length of the problem I’d suggest the repeated treatments near the end of the article would be important.

You’d also benefit from limiting processed sugar and carbohydrates which they are said to thrive on. Raw garlic is also very good to add to more of your meals as apparently pinworms particularly dislike it.

It sounds like you already know about the recommended precautions to prevent reinfection which is good. However, since they keep coming back you might want to consider if you could find a good supply of papaya and take the seeds in smaller doses on a regular basis as a digestive aid and internal cleanser as suggested here – https://superfoodprofiles.com/eating-papaya-seeds-digestive-health

Hope this helps.

Hi John and thanks for your comments. Papaya seeds have been used effectively against entamoeba histolytica from what I’ve read in the study at the start of the page and this one – In vitro study of antiamoebic effect of methanol extract of mature seeds of Carica papaya on trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica – so I’d hope they would help. It sounds like you are already winning the battle.

Hi Mark. While papaya seeds are very beneficial for digestion, I haven’t read much on them specifically being good for H.Pylori. In fact, if you have ulcers it would be best to consult your doctor before using them.

The Ayurvedic herb Amla has shown very promising results in dealing with H.Pylori and has been recommended as an effective natural treatment. I’d look into first – https://superfoodprofiles.com/amla-powder-benefits

Hi Maria.

It’s a good idea to start off slowly with papaya seeds, though you can have as much papaya as you like. It’s a very healthy fruit. You can read about just how healthy here – https://superfoodprofiles.com/papaya-health-benefits Pure aloe juice is fine and should be helpful to your digestive system.

The seeds of papaya plants do have a pretty strong flavor and that’s part of the reason why I came up with the smoothie as blended up you won’t taste them. That said, it would be beneficial to chew up a small amount first thing in the morning for a few days. You could start with a quarter of a teaspoon and work up to a teaspoon. I used to wash them down with fresh lemon juice in water so the taste doesn’t linger.

The prickly pear is a healthy food so I see no problem with adding it if you like. Pineapple was chosen for its digestive enzymes like bromelain that can have an anti-parasitic effect themselves (though probably not as strong as the compounds in papaya seeds). I think the pumpkin seeds are definitely worth adding though. They work in a different way but I suspect the effect is synergistic.

Hope this helps.

Hi Aya. It’s possible that ground papaya seeds may have an effect but I haven’t read anything specifically about them being used for skin parasites. The Manuka honey mentioned above is often used for skin infections and some people say they have used it to clear up skin parasites as well.

Hi Mariely. Ideally you’d want to cut down on refined sugar and simple carbohydrates as many parasites thrive on these. The ingredients in this smoothie are designed to drive them out and make your intestinal environment a more difficult place for them to live. But if your diet is high in sugar then it may make it more difficult to get rid of them and more likely for them to return. Alongside this, a high carb diet promotes candida overgrowth which can really drain your energy and cause many other health problems.

I’d suggest having meals based around vegetables, high quality protein and healthy fats like coconut oil while you are clearing out parasites. Any of the superfoods on this site will help support your bodies recovery. Eating smaller meals every 3-4 hours will also provide a more consistent energy.

Hope this helps.

Hi Grushenka,

Sorry to hear about the problems affecting your son. I would say your intuition on this is likely to be right. Unfortunately not many tests seem to be able to detect parasites, even when people subsequently expel large numbers of them with anti-parasitics like this papaya seed smoothie. As long as you inform his practitioner if he is taking any treatments that could be impacted by the papaya seeds, I would think you could start him on the smoothie at a smaller dose initially, perhaps half a teaspoon to start. Check how he is feeling a few hours after that and if this is well tolerated then you could slowly increase it by small amounts to around a two teaspoons over time.

It looks like you live in Australia from your email so hopefully papaya should be more readily available. If you could make the smoothie up at a lower strength for a longer time, say a week on and a week off for 6 weeks I would think it would be more beneficial for a child than the larger doses in shorter periods.

I’ve also been reading more about the beneficial properties of coconut oil on parasites so I’d suggest switching your families cooking oil to that and adding it to as many meals as possible.

Hope this helps him.

Hi Moniluv and thanks a lot for your comments. I would also like to thank again everyone who has contributed with their comments to this page. It has become a lot more than the original work with people sharing their experiences.

You are very lucky to have fresh papaya and pineapple so readily available with your dad growing them. I think I’d eat them pretty much every day. 2 tablespoons does seem high for your first go, though I’ve had this much before myself without negative effects (though I had built up to it). If you did find it a bit much you could try it at half a tablespoon of papaya seeds and increase it up to the higher amounts.

I hope it goes well for you and would appreciate hearing how you feel after a few treatments. Not all parasite cleanses are as dramatic as Patricia’s but that doesn’t mean you didn’t get rid of the more common smaller parasites.

Hi Swara. These all sound like positive steps forward to me. Particularly finding a good good ayurvedic practitioner and the fresh amla juice. I wish had access to this. It might be worth discussing triphala with your practitioner as well. Really hope things improve for you. I sounds like you’re heading in the right direction.

Hi Dave and thanks for sharing your experience in such detail. I do believe it will help other people out there but I’m sorry you had to go through all this and I wonder how many other people are being misdiagnosed and suffering because of it.

It is very frustrating that so many doctors won’t even consider parasites as having an impact on the human body and seem to have little understanding of how to diagnose or treat them. It seems our pets get treated better than people when it comes to intestinal worms. That you even had a stool sample for testing and they wouldn’t even consider is really disappointing.

I think it’s important for online writers such as myself to advise people with serious health conditions like this to seek the help of a knowledgeable health care professional that specializes in the area you are experiencing problems in. Unfortunately I’m not sure many doctors fit this description and I’ve personally heard of far better results with experienced holistic practitioners.

It sounds like the smoothie is working for you. As long as you are not experiencing negative effects I’d suggest making it up for a similar period of time every 2 weeks for at least 2 months to make sure you deal with the breeding cycle.

The Global Healing Center linked to in the article is a good resource for information about parasites. There are a lot of other articles if you do a search for parasites there. I also think their Oxy-powder is a good way to clear out the large intestine of compacted waste and help with parasite cleansing.

Thanks again for writing and I’d really appreciate hearing your about progress.

Hi Donna. Black Walnut looks to be one of the main ingredients here. It is powerful and I will be putting up articles about it on the site soon. As far as I’m aware there’s nothing in the papaya seed smoothie that should react badly with the paragone but I’d suggest following their directions and trying this recipe after the suggested 15 day course.

Hi Dave. Thanks for writing back and I’m glad the parasite smoothie is working. Unfortunately I think the French system is far from alone in it’s lack of awareness on parasites.

On the larvae and eggs, from my research, yes the larvae would be just as if not more vulnerable to the ingredients in this recipe. Hence the reason for making it up in a course every two weeks to deal with the breeding cycle.

Intestinal worm’s eggs are said to be the most difficult to get rid of so ideally we kill any new ones with regular treatments before they get a chance to lay eggs. Ingredients like papain and bromelain in this smoothie break down undigested proteins so may well help to destroy their protective coverings. Additionally, the MCTs in coconut oil makes the intestinal environment less suitable for parasites to breed in. It would be worth getting coconut oil into your diet where ever you can as it has a lot of other health benefits.

Ground clove is noted as effective against many kinds of parasite eggs. A couple of organic cloves could be added to your smoothie but I’d blend them up with the papaya seeds and a small amount of liquid or the yogurt first, then add all the other ingredients and blend again. Large pieces of clove can irritate the stomach as it’s very potent so you’d want them fine. I haven’t tried this but imagine it would also taste quite strong as well.

Alternatively, the Paratrax mentioned in the article contains clove along with other ingredients like wormwood, black walnut and diatomaceous earth which should be effective at dealing with the breeding cycle. For a serious parasite problem rather than just a general cleansing it might be best to alternate the papaya seed smoothie with a treatment like this. This should also affect a broader range of parasites.

On the tapeworms, Patrice in the earlier comments had good success with using this for tapeworms and papaya seeds are a known treatment for them so I believe it can be effective. Still, everyone is different so the best way to approach this (which is what you are doing from what I can see) is to research the best treatments and monitor the results you are getting until you find what works for you personally.

Curezone has a lot of people discussing different parasite treatments and some (but not all) posters are quite knowledgeable so it might be worth reading a few posts on hookworms and tapeworms etc there. Glad to hear you’re improving.

Hi Dave,

I think seeing a parasite specialist is a very good idea. It sounds like there’s a lot to clear out and, while you’re having some good results, it would be really helpful if you could get some definitive tests on what you’re dealing with.

I’d like to be able to give more advice but you really need to know what you are dealing with to have the best treatment plan moving forward. Focusing on healthy meals to help heal your digestive system would be important too and perhaps some strong probiotics following each treatment as well to improve the intestinal environment and make it less habitable for these parasites.

Really hope you can get this resolved soon.

Hi there and I really hope the papaya seed smoothie can help improve these health issues for you. I would say it’s important to start off relatively slowly with your dosages if you’ve been very sick. The bodies ability to heal itself is still there, but giving it too much to deal with too early may cause problems. So please try the smaller doses of the papaya seeds to start with and work up to the larger ones over a couple of weeks if your results are good and as you are feeling stronger.

The coconut oil is a good thing to add but not absolutely essential so you can add it when you get it. A teaspoon of real raw honey is beneficial and getting harder to find these days. If you have a real coconut then the water from it and the coconut meat carefully cut out with a butter knife and added in smaller slices to your blender is a great addition.

You may find a holistic practitioner who has experience dealing with parasites or a physician who specializes in infectious diseases better equipped to deal with the parasite problem.

I also found this link to a list of physicians who offer clinical consultative service in Tropical Medicine and Medical Parasitology – http://www.astmh.org/source/ClinicalDirectory/

Hope this helps.

Hi Sienna and thanks for your comments.

I’m glad the papaya smoothie tasted good. I designed it that way so I could have it regularly as a preventative at the lower doses. I used to chew the seeds straight from the papaya and knew I was unlikely to continue doing that long term. All of the other ingredients in it can help to clear out parasites and improve the digestive environment in their own way as well.

You are lucky to have access to fresh coconuts. These are particularly beneficial.

It’s possible that it was a little too many papaya seeds for your first time. But I think there’s a good chance combining the coffee enema at the same time was probably too much cleansing all at once. These are particularly effective at releasing toxins and the smoothie would likely have been doing the same thing by then. While you’ve done them before, the combination right at the time when the papaya seeds and other ingredients were working may well have overwhelmed your system and manifested as the healing crisis mentioned in the post above.

I would suggest if you were to do the two together again, the coffee enema should be done first, either early in the morning or the day before. If done in the morning, wait at least an hour before having the smoothie, still on an empty stomach and perhaps at half the dose of papaya seeds you had previously.

Done in this sequence, you’d be doing a colon cleanse first and clearing away the areas that parasites usually hide. I do this in my own way with having the Oxypowder at the end of the article the night before. If you have the smoothie an hour or so later it should be more effective at its job.

The hour between should let your body deal with some of the releasing toxins but I would still advise not having it if you are feeling brain fog, tiredness or any other ‘cleansing symptoms’. This can manifest whenever we cleanse a little too fast but the important thing with the smoothie is that you should feel better after the next time you go to the bathroom when you have it. If you feel worse, try to drink as much clean water, perhaps with fresh lemon juice in it, as you can and leave it for a day or two.

If you decide to make it again, try it at a half dose from what you had previously and only increase this amount slowly, perhaps by a quarter of a teaspoon over time. Anyone who feels they are still having a negative reaction the following day should consult a good care professional.

Hope this helps.

Hi Sienna,

Red is fine. The bigger the seeds the more powerful they tend to be so I usually go for the larger Mexican/South American sourced papayas over the Hawaiian.

While I always prefer organic when it’s affordable, papayas are considered a low pesticide crop as the skin protects them. The only exception where I’d say you really should have organic is if you intend to add a portion of the skin. But this is most effective which papayas that are just turning from green anyway so I wouldn’t worry about it with these.

The seeds are fine in the fridge for two or three days. After that I would freeze them. I often by papayas in bulk and scoop out the seeds with the pulp, divide them into appropriate sizes so I get the dose I want and then freeze them and use them separately in my blender. Your vitamix would have no problem with them still frozen and it’s a good way to maintain an easy supply.

It’s best on an empty stomach as it can get down to where it needs to without obstruction. A little watery fruit like a melon would be ok before it but I definitely wouldn’t have it after a big dinner or lunch.

Pumpkin seeds are known to primarily stun intestinal worms rather than kill them outright. My understanding is that the seeds of papaya are more powerful and may well kill them. Either way I still think it’s best to get them out with a laxative.

An enema is very effective, but for the natural laxative after the smoothie I’d think something ‘coming from above’ (if that makes sense), rather than ‘added from below’ would be better. Castor oil is the powerful option and a larger dose of triphala the gentler – https://superfoodprofiles.com/how-to-take-triphala-churna

It sounds to me like your digestive system is already more ‘cleaned out’ than most and you’d probably be fine with the triphala. That said, the castor oil would definitely work. Though it is also a bit more likely to provoke a healing crisis, possibly not quite as much as the coffee enema.

What I think actually happened for you last time was the whole process worked too well. When parasites die or even are threatened they can apparently release toxic compounds. You mentioned that you’ve done coffee enemas before without problem so it’s likely your system isn’t too toxic and can handle a reasonable level of cleansing. Adding the cleansing from the smoothie on top of that though was really increasing the amount of work your body had to do to get rid of all the toxins being released and it’s not surprising it was overwhelmed. I think mine would be too.

The enemas are still a great addition to the whole treatment, I just think they’d be far better the day before or even in the morning with at least an hour break before making up the smoothie.

If you go to the bathroom within two to two and a half hours of drinking the smoothie then you don’t need the laxative. If not, it’s helpful to make sure you clear things out. One thing I think that helps with that is having quite a big glass of it so really fill you up. I don’t use the laxative myself these days as I always visit the bathroom within two hours of having it.

That said, I’m more in preventative mode than treatment mode. If I suspected parasites again after travelling, I’d probably use the castor oil or triphala at least for the first few to make sure.

Hope this helps and best of luck with your cleansing.

Hi Sienna,

That’s fine. I appreciate the positive comments.

Sounds like a pretty healthy routine. Can’t say I’m always that active first thing.

On your questions:

1. Definitely have your water before the smoothie and drink as much as you like after as well as it will only help. The empty stomach is just so there isn’t a large amount of heavy food slowing down the smoothies digestion.

2. I personally like the larger papayas when I can find them and ideally with just a little green still to the skin without being obviously unripe. These may contain more papain enzyme and the seeds still seem quite potent. That said I’ve used both smaller and very ripe papayas successfully so I don’t think it makes that much difference.

3. This would be ideal but if you’ve been for a run you may well have already visited the bathroom. In this case as long as you went again some time that morning you may not need the laxative. The enzymes in the papaya seeds can have a bit of this effect anyway. I think the advice is more aimed at people who don’t have regular bowel movements. If you already visit the bathroom more than once a day you probably don’t need it.

4. 3-4 times on your first week, then again in 2 weeks time for 3-4 days and again another 2 weeks after that is a good initial treatment time. After that you could perhaps have it as a morning smoothie once every week or two as a preventative as I do.

Thanks for mentioning the cloves. I considered adding them but was a little worried the taste would be too overpowering. I think I will edit the article and put them in as an optional extra.

Hope it all goes well for you.

Hi Sienna,

I’ll definitely have to give the cloves a try in the smoothie. I agree that they shouldn’t be irradiated. Frontier herbs say on their website that they do not irradiate their products and they have a bulk bag of cloves for sale on Amazon.

I’ve tried black walnut hull, wormwood and cloves preparations before but found this papaya seed recipe far more effective personally. That said, I am researching black walnut hull for parasites at the moment and should have an article about it out soon.

I feel a strong tincture of the green black walnut hulls and wormwood is better than the tea. Perhaps adding these to the smoothie would make it even more powerful.

Hope this helps.

Hi Debra,

I think the seeds need to be crushed to be effective as the compounds are inside the hard shell. Another option could be to crush them in a mortar and pestle, or even the bottom of a clean jar, and swallow them with a large glass of water so you don’t taste them. I personally have never tasted them in the smoothie, even at quite large amounts.

Hi Sienna,

The papaya seed smoothie is aimed a bit more at intestinal worms but may still be useful for blastocystis hominis as the digestive enzymes in the papaya seed and pineapple could help to break down their protective coating. With this organism it is said to be especially important to clean out any compacted waste in the lower intestine. While the coffee enemas should help with this the Oxypowder mentioned at the end of the article may also be useful, especially the evening before a treatment.

Oil of oregano has been used with success as well so some enteric coated capsules of these with the smoothie on an empty stomach might be worth investigating.

These and the Frontier herbs cloves can be found on iHerb.com and I believe there’s a $5 or $10 discount if you use the code DIL799 at the checkout. They are based in the US but ship internationally for $4.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the positive comments Peter. I really appreciate it.

Hi Karim and thanks for your positive comments.

Grapefruit seed extract is another powerful superfood and I hope to post a series about it in the not too distant future.

All the best.

Hi Carlos and thanks for your comments.

The papaya seed smoothie at full strength can have a strong effect if you haven’t tried the seeds of papaya first. As in the post, I recommend having a few papaya seeds for the first week to build up your tolerance – https://superfoodprofiles.com/eating-papaya-seeds-digestive-health

I hope it’s working for you. I find regular smoothies the most effective over the timeframe detailed in the post.

All the best.

Hi Marina and thanks for your postive comments.

I agree with using your intuition and listening to your body. I’d recommend for anyone starting this treatment to begin slowly and then once you feel the papaya seed smoothie agrees with you can try a bit larger dosage, always keeping in mind the effect it’s having on you, particularly several hours after.

All the best.

Thanks Marina,

I’m sure many people in the USA wish they had such easy access to nutritious papayas. I’ve heard from someone in a northern state who said they were over $5 and hard to find.

Papayas are great for general good health as well – https://superfoodprofiles.com/papaya-health-benefits

All the best.

Hi Cheryl,

Triphala is a fine substitute for the castor oil. I personally think this papaya seed smoothie is a lot more likely to be effective than the Doctor Oz papaya seed recipe. Following the details in the article step by step is the best way to do it.

All the best

Hi Alex,

It sounds like it is too much for your system at the moment. I’d suggest leaving it for a day or two and then trying around half of the amounts suggested in the smoothie for half the treatment amount. See if you naturally make it to the bathroom within the next few hours. If so you may not need the triphala initially. Though I would recommend trying to ‘shot’ it with less liquid so you don’t have to taste it too much.

If this is tolerated you could add slowly add some extra papaya seeds and a bit more of the other anti parasite ingredients like pumpkin seeds without too much more liquid. Cloves are one the most likely ingredients to cause this reaction so perhaps leave them out for the first week and try introducing them slowly. Alternatively, enteric coated clove oil capsules are available.

Hope this helps.

Hi there and thanks for your positive comments.

You can take the papaya seeds directly if you prefer them but the do need to be crushed up. They’re unlikely to be effective with the hard shell intact. One option would be to crush them in a pestle and mortar and then shot them down with some coconut water.

Stool changes are likely when you move to a healthier diet, including the occasional ‘evacuations’ but obviously it’s better out than in. Many parasites are simply too small to be easily detectable and certainly won’t show on ultrasounds. I personally think the best practice is to have more of the type of foods in this smoothie recipe that make your intestinal environment unfavorable to worms and the like and much less of the sugar and refined wheat that feeds parasites.

Hope this helps.

Hi Angela,

It’s always difficult to tell for sure with parasites but I always do a couple of weeks of treatment personally whenever I come back from holidays where this sort of thing is a possibility. If it’s more that a few days and symptoms are ongoing then it’s less likely to be food poisoning and could make sense to consider. Obviously consult a healthcare professional too if the problems are ongoing.

Hope this helps.

Hi Richard,

Papaya seeds need to be crushed to be effective. Other squash seeds could be used but they should be raw, not roasted.

All the best.

Hi Clarissa,

It’s possible as parasites can attach themselves to the intestinal wall or Blastocystis hominis is sometimes noted as causing these kind of symptoms but this would need to be diagnosed by a professional. Unfortunately regular doctors aren’t often great at diagnosing parasites so a parasitologist or holistic healer with parasite experience would have a better chance of finding the cause. This form might help with the former http://www.astmh.org/source/ClinicalDirectory/ and the later should be interviewed over the phone as to their parasite experience level.

Hope this helps and all the best with your healing.

Hi Julie,

The study near the start of the page found papaya seed extract effective for Nigerian children with evidence of intestinal parasites but it makes sense to be extra careful when treating children as their digestive systems may be more sensitive.

I’d suggest if you did decide to make it up then it would be best to start with a much smaller dosage, perhaps 1/4 of the amount suggested here and build up to half if needed. Unfortunately it’s difficult to avoid transmission within the same family, regardless of whether you have obvious symptoms, so perhaps you could make it up for yourself for the first day, make sure you don’t have any discomfort after several hours and then consider giving them the smaller amount.

If you’re unsure on any of this please consult a knowledgeable health care professional.

All the best.

Hi Flora and thanks for your positive comments.

Walnut or coconut oil wouldn’t really work unfortunately. Castor oil is a very different type of oil. For some people just having a large smoothie is enough to result in a bathroom break a few hours after. If not then triphala is the healthiest and best replacement – https://superfoodprofiles.com/how-to-take-triphala-churna

Hope this helps.

Hi Angela,

The study cited at the start of the article was on children and the authors said the treatment was well tolerated. That said, I’d recommend making up the smoothie and having it yourself first. If you feel it is ok older children could have a quarter dose and have a little more each day if it is well tolerated. It’s difficult to recommend it for young children as they may be more sensitive and a healthcare professional should be consulted in this case.

All the best.

Hi Daniel,

If you are making the smoothie it’s best as a breakfast replacement.

If you are having the seeds on their own they are best at least 1/2hr before food on an empty stomach followed by a big glass of water.

All the best,

Jim

Hi Em,

The timing would be similar. 1 1/2 to 2 hours afterwards would be best with a big glass of water.

All the best,

Jim

Hi CK,

Unfortunately the high enzyme ingredients would likely make the smoothie unpalatable after a few days and may alter the beneficial compounds. Made and taken in the evening and used the next morning might be ok but I wouldn’t have in 2 days later for instance.

Would could potentially freeze some of the smoothie and use it later. I often do this with other smoothie recipes to have in the evening, but as this one is best first thing in the morning I’d suggest making it fresh if possible.

All the best,

Jim

Hi Nathalie and sorry for the late reply.

Papaya fruit is fine for pregnant women when red/orange ripe.

The seeds do contain the papain enzyme at all times so are not recommended in large amounts or taken regularly for women who are pregnant.

All the best,

Jim

Hi Henrietta,

The heaped teaspoon dosage of the papaya seed powder is specifically for treating parasites. It’s better in the full dose in the morning.

I think the smoothie delivery system and the extra ingredients improve the effects of the papaya seeds for parasite cleansing, so if you can make up a smoothie, even with some of the ingredients listed it would be better.

The papaya and pineapple are added for their digestive enzymes. While they don’t have these, blueberries or similar organic berries will improve the taste.

Coconut water or a healthy nut milk could be used instead of coconut milk if the fat is an issue. I wouldn’t recommend cow’s milk or soy milk as these aren’t good for treating parasites.

The cloves will work better crushed up a bit so if your blender isn’t up to the task you can crush them with the bottom of a clean jar on a plate. They’re strong so after or with the smoothie is gentler on the digestive system.

4 mornings in a row or 2 consecutive weekend is a good initial treatment time. Then again like this another two weeks later and another 2 weeks after that to deal with the parasite breeding cycle. There’s more detailed description of this in the ‘Papaya Seeds Treatment Timing and Duration’ section in https://superfoodprofiles.com/papaya-seeds-parasites

All the best,

Jim

Hi Delanie,

There’s no reason I can see not to do them at the same time and adding the black walnut and wormwood tinctures to the smoothie or taking them in a big glass of pure water just before would likely be even more effective for hitting parasites with many different compounds. The cloves are already included as an extra in this recipe and I think they are quite important for disrupting the breeding cycle.

As per the article instructions, first thing in the morning before breakfast is the best time and ongoing treatments are recommended.

Be aware though that taking all of these together does increase the chance of a detox/die off reaction which could leave you feeling quite tired the first couple of times you take it. Probably best to initially have it on a weekend and if it’s too much then half the dosage until tolerable and slowly increase for future treatments.

It’s difficult to find specific information on papaya seeds for liver parasites and flukes but the alkaloids in it are recommended for liver cleanses and even treating liver cirrhosis https://superfoodprofiles.com/health-benefits-papaya-seeds so I’d expect it to be beneficial.

Hope this helps,

Jim

That is a good idea, though I’d add the soaking water to the smoothie as well.

I’ll update the article with this suggestion. There was a lot to cover in there but this is something that should have been added.

All the best,

Jim

Hi Mimi and sorry for the slow reply.

There’s a difference in approaches with the no fruits to avoid all sugars method an attempt to starve both parasites and fungus out. The problem is few people have the ability to last on a no-carb diet unless they manage strict keto. All grain based products would be more of an issue than healthy fruits like papaya, especially the half green one recommended in the smoothie recipe.

This parasite killing smoothie is a combination of a whole host of anti-parasitic ingredients that takes a more direct approach. Believe mine was the first papaya seed smoothie recipe back in 2011 and based on the papaya seed study I cite at the beginning of the article. It’s been copied many times and may well have been the basis for one of Dr Axe’s writers or perhaps they just read about it in forums.

Think cutting right back on sugars is a good idea but I’d use the half green papaya at least. Bromalain capsules could replace pineapple.

I’d also use at least the triphala mentioned in the article or something of that strength if not the castor oil. Chai seeds are healthy but a poor laxative for most.

The cloves or clove oil capsules are also very important for their action on the eggs.

The comments have some pretty graphic examples of how well this papaya seed smoothie can work.

All the best,

Jim

Hi Jennifer,

It seems the papaya seeds work well for you for parasites. Maybe a slimmed down version of the parasite smoothie would work for you with less ingredients. It is supposed to be very filling to make you go to the toilet afterwards but you could probably get the same effect with a smaller one and drinking a lot of water in the hour or two after.

If this doesn’t send you to the bathroom then triphala or another strong natural laxative would be helpful.

Every weekend would be better than a 7-10 day break but if this is all you can do then extend the period you take it for a month or so.

You can take seeds at the night as well if it doesn’t affect your sleep. Parasites won’t like them and may let you know.

I’d expect in the morning on an empty stomach to be the best time and if you build up your tolerance with a little more seeds each time it would be better to take the same amount all in one go in the morning.

All the best,

Jim

Hi Amoya,

The parasite cleanse with papaya seeds should not be used when pregnant and the warning on papaya enzymes does extend to breastfeeding. More details here https://superfoodprofiles.com/papaya-enzyme-side-effects-warnings

All the best,

Jim

Hi Candence and thanks for your message.

Raw garlic cloves have strong anti-microbal and likely anti-parasitic properties.

I’ve taken them before and they can be a bit irritating on an empty stomach in large doses. Always drink a lot of water with them.

If you were combining the two treatments I would either take them a bit before with the cloves and several glasses of water. Or at the same time as the smoothie. Either way, you want enough liquid to move them on from the stomach and into the small intestine as soon as possible.

Eating parsley is very good for neutralizing garlic odors and very beneficial in its own right https://superfoodprofiles.com/health-benefits-parsley

All the best,

Jim

Hi Ananda and sorry for the slow reply. Fairtrade papayas may or may not be affected by sprays. If unsure it’s best to rub the papaya skin (or any other fruit or vegetable) with vinegar first as the removes any residues.

All the best,

Jim