First off, no need to be ashamed: Worms in the stool are very common, especially in children.
Usually these are pinworms: yellow-white worms, thin as a thread and half an inch long. They are not harmful or painful, but the itching can be extremely uncomfortable.
Though a medical worm treatment is quick & effective, you can usually not use it for children under two years old or when you are pregnant.
You might simply prefer natural solutions over medical ones. There are several home remedies you can try before getting a worm treatment online, at the pharmacy or drugstore.
What Are Parasite Worms?
You can have different types of worms. Here are the most common ones, you can identify them by checking your stool or check around your anus (with a mirror, a couple of hours after bedtime):
- Pinworms are the most common, they are yellow-white and about half an inch longImage Source: Wikipedia
- Roundworms are less common. They resemble cream earthworms.Image Source: Joel Mills, Wikimedia
- Tapeworms are rare. They consist of a ribbon of white rectangular pieces about half an inch.
Image Source: Wikimedia
There are other types of parasitic worms, but they are so rare that we have not mentioned them here.
If you are in doubt about what type of worm you have, consult your physician for a thorough diagnose. If possible, take some worms in a jar with you to the appointment.
What Are the Symptoms of a Worm Infection?
Most worms you can see in your stool. The itchy feeling of pinworms can be very tedious. Especially at night, because the worms come out and lay eggs. By scratching the skin around the anus, the area can get red and irritated.
If you do not see worms in your stool, but still suspect you have them, try the “Cellophane Tape Test”:
- Wait in bed till an hour after your usual bed time
- Wrap a piece of Scotch tape around a tongue depressor, sticky side out
- Press the sticky tape against the skin around your anus
- Bring the tape to your physician, so he can check for eggs
How Do You Get Infected with Worms?
Pinworms
You can get these worms when you unknowingly swallow the eggs of these worms. The eggs are so small that you can not see them with the naked eye. The eggs are spread mainly by the hands of people, especially children.
The eggs enter the intestines through the mouth where they hatch and grow into worms. The worms live in the intestines and lay their eggs around the anus.When you scratch your anus, you get the eggs on your hands. By touching things like doorknobs and toys, the eggs spread further.
Roundworms
The infection with roundworm also happens unnoticed by the ingestion of eggs. Eggs of roundworms are in dog poo, uncovered sandboxes and sometimes in raw, unwashed vegetables.
Tapeworms
Eggs of tapeworms enter our body through raw meat such as steak tartare, raw minced meat and undercooked steak.
Can a Worm Parasite Be Dangerous?
Apart from types of worms that are rare in developed countries, worms in general are quite harmless.
What Can You Do against a Worm Infection?
If someone in your family has worm parasites, good hygiene can reduce the risk of (re-)infection:
- Wash hands after visiting the toilet.
- Use a nail brush.
- Cut the nails short.
- Hang a clean towel on the toilet every day.
- Use separate washcloths for your upper and lower body.
- Put on clean underwear each day.
- Be sure to clean doorknobs, faucets, toilet seats and toys well.
- Explain to your child that it should not scratch around the anus. If they do, which is completely understandable, ask them to always wash their hands afterwards.
- Wash vegetables well and do not eat raw meat to avoid ingesting eggs of tapeworms.
Tip: Zinc cream can help against the itching and consequently scratching.
Natural Remedies to get rid of worms
To get rid of the worms, you can try these home remedies:
1. Onion
- Eat a whole raw onion.
- After 24 hours, the worms should be gone.
If you don’t want to eat an onion, you can try onion juice:
- Leave a chopped onion overnight in a large glass
- Sift the onion out and drink some of the juice on an empty stomach
2. Garlic
- Cut a garlic clove in half
- Before you go to sleep, rub the garlic around your anus
3. Thyme
- Boil water and let some thyme soak in the water for 15 minutes.
- Make this thyme tea every day for five and drink 3 glasses per day.
4. Vaseline
- Put some vaseline around your anus
- The worms will not be able to deposit eggs, they get stuck and die
5. Coconut Oil
- Wash the anus and apply some coconut oil at bedtime. Coconut oil disinfects and creates an unpleasant environment for the worms.
- You can also eat five table spoons of extra virgin coconut oil a day for three days.
6. Carrot and Garlic
- Grate 2 carrots with one clove of garlic
- Season to taste with raisins, honey, little oil and vinegar and eat this every day for three days
7. Pumpkin Seeds
- Eat a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds for one week.
Ninja tip: If you don’t have time…
In addition to these home remedies, you can consult a natural health store and/or homeopathic doctor for a natural treatments for worms. For example, the all-natural Wormwood & Black Walnut Intestinal Guard by Health’s Harmony:
A sure way to prevent worms from rearing their ugly heads is to combine a full detox or cleansing flush with probiotics to get rid of any other parasitic inhabitants in your body. You will feel relieved, clean and full of energy!
Ýou can find the natural worm cure by Healths Harmony right here. To stop parasites from coming back, you can opt for Optimum Probiotics by dr. Tobias, which are available here.