Intestinal Parasites

Intestinal Parasites

Friends, relatives and strangers often approach me for advice about healing with herbs. One of my most interesting inquiries a few years ago came from a holistically inclined friend who had amebiasis, often known as amebic dysentery.

She'd initially been misdiagnosed, and by the time her doctor figured out what she really had, she was in a bad way, with diarrhea, flatulence and severe abdominal distress. Her doctor prescribed the standard drug, metronidazole (Flagyl), but like many people, she was concerned about its potential side effects. Her question to me was, What did I think about her trying the Chinese herb qing hao?

I replied that qing hao, which we Americans call sweet Annie, was being prescribed for amebiasis by three physicians I knew in New York City, with good results. I knew this because some of their patients had come to me seeking a free source of this herb. One young lady who had a bad case of intestinal parasites (giardia) had apparently achieved relief for the first time in over two years by using qing hao in combination with another Chinese herbal ingredient, gossypol.

Amoebas among Us

Worldwide, an estimated 500 million people are infected with intestinal parasites, and these microorganisms contribute to thousands of deaths each year. Amebiasis and giardiasis, both of which are caused by tiny parasites known as amoebas, are increasingly common in the United States.

Many travelers bring them home from abroad, but you don't have to leave our shores to come down with a case. Giardia has become endemic in North American wildlife. Twenty years ago, it was safe to drink from wilderness streams in the West without boiling the water, but no longer. Giardia-contaminated wildlife wastes have introduced the parasite into just about every once-pristine waterway.

Metronidazole is the medical drug of choice for getting rid of intestinal parasites. While it is effective and generally safe, the woman who didn't want to take it was right to be cautious. It can cause severe side effects, including abdominal distress, nausea and vomiting (especially if you drink alcohol while taking it). More serious side effects are also possible, notably seizures and nerve damage to the extremities, a condition known as peripheral neuropathy.

Green Pharmacy for Intestinal Parasites

I wouldn't criticize anyone for taking metronidazole. After all, if you have intestinal parasites, you want them gone. But if you'd rather not take this drug, it's nice to know that there are a number of herbal alternatives.

Some of the herbs mentioned in this chapter can produce side effects such as nausea when taken in doses high enough to dislodge and kill parasites. On the other hand, some of these parasites can be life-threatening if you don't take aggressive action. So, whatever you do, be sure to work with your doctor, even if you're taking the herbal approach. Here are the herbs that might help.

Cinchona (Cinchona, various species). Cinchona bark is the herbal source of the antimalarial drug quinine. Amoebas are close kin to the microbes that cause malaria, and the same kinds of compounds seem to work on both.

There are more than 20 active compounds in cinchona besides quinine and quinidine. Many of these will also work against amoebas. Cinchona bark is available from some herbalists and can be made into a tea, which, I should warn you, tastes quite bitter. But if you want to try it, steep about a half-teaspoon of powdered bark in a cup of boiling water for ten minutes. I'd suggest drinking two or three cups a day.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). The compound berberine, a proven amebicide, occurs in five herbs that have yellow roots, most notably goldenseal but also goldthread, barberry, Oregon grape and yellowroot. But you have to be careful with it. The LD50 (the technical term for the dose that kills half of those who take it) is only about ten times higher than the therapeutic dose for getting rid of intestinal parasites. The lesson? Don't go overboard with goldenseal.

If you'd like to try this herb, please discuss it with your doctor. The recommended dose for killing parasites is 1Ž3 to 1Ž2 ounce of dried herb divided into three parts and taken over the period of one day, in tea or capsules.

Another word of warning: Because this much goldenseal might cause miscarriage, don't use this treatment if you're pregnant.

Having said all this, I should add that I don't know of anyone who has ever suffered serious side effects from this herb, and the research is clear that many have benefited.

One study compared pure berberine compound with metronidazole. Of 40 children with giardia, 48 percent of those treated with berberine stopped experiencing symptoms, while only 33 percent of those treated with metronidazole felt similar relief.

Some pharmacognosists (natural product pharmacists) come out in favor of taking berberine sulfate but advise against taking goldenseal and other herbs containing this compound. If I had intestinal parasites, I'd still try the herbal approach. I think it works.

Ipecac (Cephaelis ipecacuanha). Here in the United States, we think of ipecac as an emergency treatment to induce vomiting when a child ingests a poison. But this herbal root has another major role in the tropics, where it comes from: It kills amoebas. It contains at least three amebicidal compounds, cephaeline, dehydroemetine and emetine.

Germany's Commission E, the expert panel that judges the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines for the German government, recommends taking 30 drops of an ipecac tincture (part ipecac and part alcohol). This is a one-time only treatment.

Elecampane (Inula helenium). This common North American herb contains two anti-amebic compounds, alantolactone and isoalantolactone. If I had intestinal amoebas, I'd certainly give elecampane a try, since it appears to be safe. Typically, herbalists recommend bringing a cup of water to a boil, then dropping in one teaspoon of herb and simmering for 20 minutes. You can drink up to three cups a day.

Elecampane Elecampane, also known as wild sunflower, was used as a veterinary as well as a human medicine in the Middle Ages.

papaya (Carica papaya). This fruit contains both antiseptic and antiparasitic compounds, including one called carpaine. I have chewed the piquant seeds on occasion, and if I had amebiasis, I would not hesitate to add a few crushed seeds to any fruit juice. The active ingredients give a pungent bite to the seeds.

Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua). As far as I know, neither sweet Annie nor its active ingredient artemisinin has been approved as safe and effective for treating intestinal parasites. Nonetheless, both the herb and the pure active ingredient are being used successfully for just this purpose.

Sweet Annie has been proven by research in China and at the Walter Reed Army Research Institute in Washington, D.C., for fighting the malarial organism that is kin to the amoeba, so there is some rationale for using this herb to treat amebiasis.

It's hard to get a handle on the safe and effective dose of this herb, as the doctors, vendors and consumers I've spoken to all suggest different amounts. For that reason, this would not be among my top choices of herbs for treating amoebas. Because of its reputation, though, I would certainly try this herb judiciously if I had any of the amebic ailments and did not have an effective doctor and/or drug at hand. I suggest making a tea using two to five teaspoons of the herb and drinking one to three cups a day.

Cubeb (Piper cubeba). Cubeb is a spice that is related to but not as well-known as black pepper. My good friends, pharmacognosist Albert Leung, Ph.D., and Arkansas herbalist Steven Foster, have teamed up on an update of Dr. Leung's The Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients. In this update they cite studies showing that ground cubeb is very effective in treating amebic dysentery. Cubeb has long been important in the traditional Ayurvedic medicine of India, and it looks to me as if its popularity in the United States is due to rise. You can use the powder like pepper in cooking.