Deworming

With summer comes a few challenges, not the least of which are WORMS. Ugly creepy-crawlies that make a home inside of us and our pets. It can cause various symptoms like itching around the anus, itching of the abdomen, gagging, coughing, weight loss (unhealthy because of the loss of nutrients) and pain in the belly.

Chemical deworming works very effectively, but is expensive and includes a range of side effects like nausea.

As with all natural products, remember the golden rule. Gentle and SLOW. That means that if a commercial dewormer would have sorted out intestinal worms all on one day, you will need to budget a week to give the natural counterparts time to gently and slowly do its work. Here follows some of our favourite parasite killers. This is safe for humans, young and old, as well as horses, cats and dogs.

1. Papaya seeds: fresh or dried. Dried , grind it in a coffee grinder and mix  in yogurt.

2. Pomegranate juice. 5 glasses per day for 3 days. This remedy is not safe for diabetics, as it will have an effect on blood-sugar levels.

3. Pumpkin seeds. Grind it up and hide it in pet food for cats and dogs. A quarter teaspoon ground pumpkin seed for every 5kg of body weight of your dog. 10-15 seeds a day, for a week, for humans. Remember to treat all the humans and animals in your family simultaneously, to prevent re-infecting.

4. Castor oil, early in the morning on an empty stomach. 2 Tbs on 3 consecutive days.

5. Garlic: 2 cloves daily for a week.

6. Turmeric: 1 Tbs a day for a week. ( remember to use organic, non-irradiated spices)

These remedies are more effective early in the morning on an empty stomach. Good hygiene is also important, such as washing hands regularly. Wash fresh produce in water with a bit of lemon juice. You can also deworm with a wormwood or artemesia tincture. Between 20 and 30 drops daily. Artemesia is also undergoing trails currently as a natural malaria remedy. The results are looking promising, of course without the horrible side effects of conventional malaria medicine. We deworm about every six months, so put it in your diary or a reminder on your phone.