WORMS AND PARASITES
The most common types of worms to infest humans are the digestive parasites, threadworms (also called as pinworms) and "round worms", all of which can be acquired by eating undercooked, infected meat or ingesting the eggs by eating dirt. Worms are particularly common in small children aged two to five years, who tend to play on the ground and put things in their mouth. The dirt they ingest can harbor eggs, which hatch in the intestine.
Infestation by worms can give rise to many symptoms like chronic fatigue, anemia, weight loss despite having an increased appetite, desire for sweets and chocolates, dark circles under the eyes, foul breath, decreased immunity, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea, irritability, nervousness, restlessness, etc.; but different worms can give rise to different kinds of symptoms. The principle symptom of threadworms is itching around the
anus at night. They may also cause periodic bouts of diarrhea alternating with constipation, loss of weight, cough and fever. Roundworms do not produce many symptoms until they have multiplied and then they may cause intestinal obstruction or symptoms like abdominal discomfort or pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, loss of weight, fever and irritability. Hookworms may give rise to vomiting, epigastric pain, loose stools,
anemia and nutritional disorders.
Cleanliness and hygiene must be observed meticulously; wash hands before eating and handling food items; keeping the fingernails cut and trim.
HOME REMEDIES
1. Avoid taking sugarcane and sugar in any form. Avoid taking fatty food (like butter, cream and oil) and meat.
2. Homemade juice of Indian Gooseberry (amla) is given with some honey to be taken daily.
3. Two to three cloves of garlic if chewed daily in the morning acts as a useful anthelmintic or take two cloves of garlic and boil it in a cupful of milk and sweeten it with honey and take it on retiring for a few days.
4. Turmeric powder and garlic should be added to all the vegetable preparations in sufficiently large quantities.
5. Burn the outer skin of the pomegranate (anar) and then allow it to cool and then make it into a powder. This taken with some sugar helps to expel roundworms and tapeworms. Give a tablespoonful of this powder in the morning and evening, followed by a purgative the next morning.
6. Eat a small plateful of freshly shredded coconut for breakfast. The milk from the nut should also be taken at the same time. Have lunch as usual and then fast for the remainder of the day and have a similar coconut breakfast on rising. Then after about two hours following the second breakfast, take a dose of Epsom salt or castor oil (30-60 ml) and the worms should come away.
7. A small cup of grated carrot with aniseed (saunf) or drinking fresh carrot juice taken every morning with no other food added to the meal can clear these worms quickly.
8. Among fruits, pineapple is considered as a useful anthelmintic.
9. The leaf juice of Margosa tree (Neem) is a strong anthelmintic. A tablespoonful of the fresh juice of an unripe papaya and an equal quantity of honey should be mixed with three to four tablespoonfuls of hot water and taken by the patient. After two hours this is followed by dose of 30-60 ml of castor oil (arandi) mixed in about 300 ml of milk. This procedure can be repeated for two days if necessary. The papaya seeds are also useful to expel worms. The seeds are powdered and taken in doses of one teaspoonful with one cup of
water or milk daily in the morning on an empty stomach.
10. Two ounces of pumpkin seeds are scalded and the outer skin is peeled off and the inner green pulp is mixed with cream or milk and taken like porridge. Take this in the morning after twelve hours fasting and this is then followed in two hours by castor oil (arandi). This may be repeated in a week or so if necessary.
11. A juice made out of bitter gourd (karela) is also useful.
12. Soak a teaspoonful of powdered bishop weed (ajwain) in two glasses of water overnight. Boil and cool it in the morning. Divide it into two portions and take twice, upon rising and at bedtime.
13. Eat two tomatoes with salt and black pepper the first thing in the morning for a period of about fifteen days.
14. Half a glass of the juice of mint leaves should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach, for eight days regularly.
15. Bitter variety of drumstick (saijan ki phalli) is useful for these patients.
16. Powder a few dried lemon seeds. Take a small pinch of this powder with warm water twice daily for some days at a stretch.
17. Chew about two to three walnuts and take a glass of unsweetened milk regularly for fifteen days.
18. Eat two sweet apples every night for a week.
19. Asafoetida (hing) has the power to act on worms; so inclusion of it liberally in food helps expel worms.
20. Soak a teaspoonful of powdered bishop weed (ajwain) in two glasses of water overnight. Boil and cool it in the morning. Divide it into two portions and take it twice, once on rising and another at bedtime.
21. A soup made of the tender leaves of the jute plant is a strong anthelminthic.
22. Lemon juice should be applied twice daily to allay the itching in the anus of small children.
