Pumpkin Seeds for Parasites: A Natural Intestinal Worms Cleanse
Intestinal human parasites are a far more common problem than most people realize.
Here’s how they can enter your body and some of the main symptoms of parasitic infections.
Also ahead is a natural remedy for intestinal worms, based on a traditional German treatment using raw pumpkin seeds.
These seeds contain high levels of a substance called cucurbitin that paralyzes tapeworms, hookworms, ascariasis, pinworms and other parasites so they can be expelled from your body.
Using Raw Pumpkin Seeds to Get Rid of Parasitic Worms
Pumpkin seeds have been traditionally used as an anthelmintic (a substance that helps expel intestinal parasites). Here’s a recipe for how to make them up for this purpose and use them yourself.
Importantly, this pumpkin seed treatment does not kill the parasites outright. Instead, compounds known as cucurbitacins in the seeds temporarily paralyze the worms.
This stops them from attaching to the intestinal wall to prevent excretion, as they usually do during a bowel movement.
The parasite recipe ahead contains quite a large amount of raw pumpkin seeds. This is deliberate, both for the high levels of cucurbitacins and to help you go to the toilet afterwards.
Pumpkin seeds are very filling so if you make up this natural remedy then time it as a meal replacement. Early in the morning for breakfast on an empty stomach is best.
It’s also strongly recommended to follow this pumpkin seed treatment with a natural laxative. This ensures as many worms as possible are expelled before they recover.
Pumpkin Seed Parasite Cleanse Instructions
- Blend 1 full cup of high quality raw pumpkin seeds, like these organic USA grown ones, in a blender with half a cup of coconut milk and half a cup or more of water. Coconut milk is good for intestinal health and recommended. Unsweetened nut milks or coconut water could also be used. Don’t use dairy or sweetened liquids as they both feed parasites.
- Ideally you want the consistency to be like a smooth paste. Start by adding the coconut milk and then add the water in smaller amounts until the mixture is well blended. Getting the pumpkin seed paste out of the blender and into a bowl can be tricky. I find a rubber spatula good for these kind of jobs.
- Eat this pepita treatment for parasites as you would a porridge breakfast, on an empty stomach in the morning. It tastes quite good but is very filling and you may struggle to finish it. You can mix in a few drops of stevia to sweeten it if you like. Avoid honey and especially sugar as these are favorite foods of intestinal worms.
- Within the hour make sure you drink a large glass of water. Several over the next hour would be even better. This is important to keep the treatment moving along your gastrointestinal tract and doing its work.
- Ayurvedic triphala is one of the few beneficial laxatives for occasional use (I use this organic powder). Make it up around the same time as the pumpkin seed treatment and let it sit to increase its effectiveness. Use the directions for the stronger dose from the page on how to make triphala. Drink it around 2 hours after you finish the pepita paste and before you eat any other solid food.
- Triphala at the higher dosage should send you to the bathroom before too long for the paralyzed worms to be expelled. If you don’t need to go to the toilet after having this worm treatment, several glasses of water and the triphala, then you are probably constipated. Use a good colon cleanser like this before you make up the remedy again.
Multiple Treatments to Increase Effectiveness
While some people get good results with just one treatment, intestinal parasites like tapeworms, hookworms and ascariasis are tenacious. Taking the mixture multiple times will be much more effective.
For best results make up this parasite cleanse for breakfast for 2 or 3 days in a row (though no longer than a week).
Have a week off and then repeat the cycle the following week. Ideally follow this routine for up to a month to deal with the breeding cycles of different parasitic worms.
The Human Intestinal Parasite Problem
Parasites can enter your body through contaminated water or food (particularly meat like pork or uncooked fish), mosquito bites, intimate contact, and through the nose or mouth after touching an infected animal or contaminated surface.
A healthy person’s system should deal with protozoa, flukes, nematodes and other parasitic organisms and prevent them taking a hold in the intestinal tract or other areas of the body.
However, when your body’s defenses are low, your digestive system is functioning poorly, or your gut flora is out of balance, then parasites can take hold and become a big problem, manifesting in a variety of sometimes baffling symptoms.
Diagnosis by the average GP can be difficult as symptoms often mimic other health problems. The CDC notes that parasitic infections commonly go undiagnosed in America.
Common Signs of Parasitic Infection
Having one of the 9 symptoms listed below does not necessarily mean you have intestinal worms. If you have several of them combined though, it could be worth seeking advice from a healthcare professional who knows how to treat parasites properly.
1. Regular Intestinal Pain
Parasitic infection of the gut can be responsible for regular abdominal pain and belly cramps.
This is due to the blockages tapeworms, ascariasis and other parasites can cause and the changes they make to the intestinal environment. Severe cases are known as parasitic colitis and require attention from a specialist.
2. Frequent Diarrhea
Some human parasite infestations, like a protozoan infection, produce a substance that leeches sodium and chloride from your body, leading to frequent diarrhea.
3. Regular Constipation
Conversely, parasitic worms can block the passage of digesting food or waste being eliminated, resulting in regular constipation and difficulty going to the toilet.
4. Itching of the Anal, Perianal or Vaginal Areas
Pinworm infection causes painful itching in intimate areas, particularly in the evening as the come out to lay their eggs. This is one of the more obvious parasite symptoms.
Pumpkin seeds may work for pinworms but green black walnut hulls or this papaya seed parasite smoothie can be even more effective for these highly infectious nematodes.
Crushed garlic is another natural remedy and can be mixed with coconut oil and applied to itch prone areas to stop pinworms laying their eggs.
5. Restlessness and Difficulty Sleeping
Intestinal worms are most active at night. They release harmful substances like ammonia and raise stress levels. This can make you restless, disturb your sleep and even lead to insomnia.
Pinworms come out to lay their eggs several hours after you go to bed, waking you with the itching they cause. These annoying little parasites are especially problematic for children but adults can also be infected.
6. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Worms attach themselves to your intestinal walls, causing irritation and inflammation that can lead to intestinal spasms and contractions, bloating, gas and poor nutrient absorption.
All of these are common symptoms of IBS, though there can be many other potential causes of this debilitating condition.
7. Ongoing Fatigue
Changes in your gut due to parasite activity, along with malabsorption of nutrients in your food, can lead to constant tiredness, low energy and fatigue.
This is obviously very difficult for the average GP to diagnose and low level parasitic infections often go undiscovered for long periods, if at all.
8. Food Allergies
Parasites like tapeworms and roundworms can cause intestinal wall damage, making proper digestion difficult and leading to allergic reactions to certain foods.
9. Lowered Immunity
Parasites steal energy sources and nutrients from your gastrointestinal tract during digestion. Immune system impairment can result from this lack of nutrition, even if you are eating a healthy food diet.
A parasitic organism infection can also stimulate an ongoing immune response. Over time this can lead to lowered defenses, making you vulnerable to other intestinal invaders like the candida fungus.
Treating Intestinal Worms
Human parasites are a serious problem and many people suffer their negative effects without knowing they are infected with them. This is likely due to the symptoms being explained away as something much easier to diagnose.
If you’re having multiple issues, similar to those listed above, then consult a specialist who understands the parasite problem and knows what treatments are available.
Parasite Specialists and Other Treatments
I hope using pumpkin seeds for parasites works for you if you give it a try. I’ve answered many questions about the recipe and how to do the treatment in the comments below.
I must state though that I cannot give specific advice for individuals. If you suspect parasites but can’t get help from a regular GP then I’d recommend seeking out a parasite specialist.
This page has a list of physicians who specialize in medical parasitology and can be searched by state or country.
Since writing this article I’ve also investigated and written about using other traditional treatments for parasitic infections, such as black walnut, wormwood and clove and a papaya seed smoothie.
Getting rid of parasites isn’t easy but I hope this pumpkin seed remedy for intestinal worms can be an effective tool in your arsenal against them. All the best in your healing.