Worms and other intestinal parasites infest the human beings and they are widely prevalent during the rainy seasons in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. But apart from the adults, the children are more infested with these intestinal worms. The most common of these parasites are roundworms, pinworms, threadworms, hookworms, tapeworms and giardia.

Symptoms of Intestinal Worms:
The usual symptoms of intestinal worms are diarrhoea, foul breath, dark circles under the eyes and constant desire for food restlessness at night with bad dreams, anemia and headache. However, let us now look at the symptoms caused by particular intestinal worm group.

Roundworms: These may give rise to inflammation of the intestine and lungs, nausea, vomiting, loss of weight, fever, nervousness and irritability.

Pinworms: These may bring on intense itching in the area around the rectum.

Threadworms: These may cause periodic bouts of diarrhoea, alternating with constipation, loss of weight, cough and fever.

Hookworms: These may give rise to anaemia and nutritional disorders.

Giardia: The presence of giardia may result in pain in the calves and weakness in the legs.

Causes of Intestinal Worms:
The real cause of intestinal worms is wrong feeding. The eggs of these parasites are introduced into the human system through the medium of food or water, especially undercooked meat can breed in the intestines only if they find there a suitable medium for their propagation. This medium is an intestinal tract clogged with morbid matter and systemic refuses due to wrong feeding habits. Let us look at the causes of the types of worms.

Roundworms may result from dirty fingers and food.

Hookworms enter the human body through the skin from infected water.

The tapeworms are transmitted into the body through undercooked flesh foods or foods contaminated by dogs.

Treatment of Intestinal Worms by Nature Cure:
Diet:
The treatment for intestinal worms should begin with diet. The patient should be kept on an exclusive diet of fresh fruits for five to seven days. Thereafter he may adopt a well-balanced light diet consisting mainly of fruits, vegetables, milk and whole meal bread. The diet should also exclude fatty foods such as butter, cream, oil, refined foods and all flesh foods. This diet should be continued till the parasites are completely eliminated.

However, in some cases, depending on the progress of the patient, the all-fruit diet may have to be repeated at regular intervals. In persistent cases however, the patient should start short fasts on raw fruit and vegetable juices. In case of tapeworms this fast has to be of a fairly long duration. In such cases, the bowels should be cleansed daily with warm water enema during all fruits or fasting period. However, it would be advisable to carry on this fast treatment under the supervision of a naturopath or in a nature cure hospital.

Home Remedies for Intestinal Worms:
Coconut is the most effective amongst all home remedies found beneficial for the treatment for intestinal worms. It is an ancient remedy for expelling all kinds of intestinal worms. Hence, a tablespoon of a freshly ground coconut should be taken at breakfast followed by a dose of Castor oil after three hours. The process may be repeated till the cure is complete.

Even fresh garlic and its oil are effective. An ancient method of its medication was to place a couple of cloves of fresh garlic in each shoe. As the person walks, the garlic is then crushed under his foot and the worm-killing garlic oil is absorbed by the skin and carried by blood into the intestines, as it possesses a powerful penetrative force.

The carrot is valuable in the elimination of threadworms in children as it is most offensive of all parasites. A small cup of grated carrot taken every morning, with no other food added to the meal, can clear these worms quickly.

Papaya seeds are rich in a substance called caricin, which is a very effective medicine for expelling roundworms. The alkaloid Carpaine found in the leaves has also the power to destroy or expel intestinal worms. They are given with honey. The milky juice of the unripe papaya also contains a digestive enzyme known as papain, which is very strong in destroying roundworms. Thus, a tablespoon of its fresh juice should be mixed with an equal quantity of honey with three to four tablespoons of hot water and taken as a dose by an adult. This should be followed two hours later by a dose of 30 to 60 ml. of castor oil mixed in 250-375 ml. of lukewarm milk. This treatment should be repeated for two days if necessary. For children of 7 to 10 years, half the above doses should be given, whereas for the children under three years, a tablespoon is sufficient.

The bark, both its root and the stems of pomegranate tree, is well known for its anthelmintic properties of destroying parasitic worms. About 90 to 180 ml. of the cold decoction of bark, preferably fresh bark should be given three times at intervals of one hour to an adult. After the last dose a purgative should be given. The dose for children is 30 to 60 ml. The decoction is also used for expelling tapeworms.

Ripe pumpkin seeds are also useful, especially in clearing tapeworms. An infusion, prepared from the seeds after they are peeled and crushed, will kill parasites and help in expelling the tapeworm. It will be necessary to fast for a day and empty the intestines by taking the juice of boiled dry prunes. The next day, three or four tumblers of this pumpkin seed infusion should be taken.