Jump To: Intestinal Worms | Who Is At Risk | Symptoms of stomach worms | Effective Remedies For Prevention | Home Remedies For Cure
Intestinal worms
Intestinal worms, also called intestinal parasites, live in the intestines and continue living inside the humans, sometimes even up to 30 years when not treated.
The types of worms that can affect humans are tapeworms, flukes, roundworms, pinworms (common in children and fairly harmless), and hookworms. Some live in the intestines and some in the colon and rectum.
Who is at risk?
The worms get into the body through contaminated food and drinking water. Some worms get in when you walk barefoot in soil.
Worm infestation is common in people living in hot and humid tropical climates, particularly in developing countries where sanitation and hygiene are poor. Besides, children worldwide are affected as they spend most of their time outdoors and may get in contact with contaminated soil or water.
What are the symptoms?
Intestinal worms may not show any symptoms at all. If symptoms do occur, they are mild stomach discomforts. However, severe infections can impair growth in children as they may cause appetite loss.
Further, in rarer cases, intestinal worms can cause intestinal blockage, which means you will find it difficult to pass stools.
Lesser harmful pinworms, however, can be annoying as they cause itching in the anal area. This is because the mature worms move to the anal area to lay eggs during the night, and hence you will feel the place extremely itchy.
Also Read: Top Eight Symptoms Of Intestinal Parasites You Should Know
The image below shows the most common symptoms:
Deworming is common for kids, and some GPs advise adults too. But, do you know there are effective natural remedies that deworm your intestines and can prevent worm infestation as well?
The following are a few very effective intestinal worm remedies that you can try at the comfort of your home listed in no particular order. Of course, you can aim to include every one of them as and when you can!
Prevention of intestinal worms with natural remedies
1. Bitter gourd
Bitter gourd is an excellent intestinal worm remedy that works wonders. Consuming bitter gourd regularly (once a week) as a part of your meal, be it in the form of curry or a stir fry vegetable, or any other recipe of your choice can help keep intestinal parasites at bay.
Also Read: Simple, easy-to-cook bitter gourd stir fry
2. Turkey berry | Solanum Torvum | Bhankatiya | Sundakkai | Usthikaya
This is another bitter vegetable that helps prevent worms. You can easily make chutney out of the raw berries or fry the dry ones and use it as a part of curries. Don’t have access to fresh turkey berries? No worries, you can purchase it in dry form.
3. Pineapple
You will be surprised to know that pineapple is highly efficient in preventing intestinal parasite infestation. Besides, this is perhaps one of the easiest ways to avoid the worms as it is tasty too.
So, enjoy a few pieces of pineapple regularly to prevent stomach worms!
Cure for intestinal worms
4. Castor oil
Castor oil can help flush out worms in a jiffy. To naturally deworm yourself at home, drink a tablespoon of castor oil mixed with any juice or warm milk. You will soon have the urge to pass stool, and the worms will be cleared during the process.
5. Garlic
Garlic is another remedy for intestinal worms to try at home. Boil 2-3 cloves of peeled garlic in a cup of milk. Drink the milk and also eat the cooked garlic first thing in the morning for effective deworming at home. You can repeat this exercise for 2 or 3 mornings continuously to eradicate the worms completely.
6. Neem
Neem is yet another effective deworming remedy that helps get rid of stomach worms. You can blend a few neem leaves with a little water to make a paste and eat it in the morning for a couple of days to clear the intestinal worms with this home remedy.
Web Story: Neem Oil Benefits
7. Raw papaya
Scoop up a spoonful of raw papaya, add it to a cup of warm milk and drink it on an empty stomach daily for a week to feel the difference. Alternatively, you can use the papaya seeds to avail the same benefit. Grind a spoonful of papaya seeds and add the powder to warm milk.
8. Carom seeds
Mix a small teaspoon of carom seeds with jaggery and chew on the mixture twice a day for a week to clear the intestinal parasites. You can also boil a spoonful of the seeds in a litre of water and take this water in sips throughout the day. A great home remedy for stomach worms, it will also aid in digestion.
Final Word
Intestinal worms may not pose any serious health risk. Yet, the infection may get severe in some cases, leading to impaired growth in children or intestinal blockage. So, when the symptoms don’t get better with natural remedies, you should visit your doctor.
Have you tried any of these home remedies? We would love to hear your experience; please leave a comment!
Images: canva.com
