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their
dried beans in order to avoid excessive intestinal gas. When told this I
ordered and planted epazote seed. When the young plants were several
inches high I pinched them and smelled. Once again I stated, "That
smells like that old hookworm treatment." Further research revealed
that they were one and the same – Epazote/Jerusalem Oak (Chenopodium
ambrosioides), the herb from which my worm treatment was created. In
fact, at one time this herb was grown commercially for this purpose.
A
parasite is a plant or animal which lives on or at the expense of
another organism or host. We generally refer to those which find homes
in our bodies as worms. Humans can play host to a large number of
parasites. Sometimes we get them from improperly cleansed salad
materials and often from pets. Pin worms, which are probably our most
common parasite in this area, emerge from the body to lay their eggs.
These eggs float freely around in the air which we breathe. Naturally we
inhale and ingest these eggs and the cycle starts over. (This I learned
as a nurse long before I became "THE HERB LADY.")
I
have enough parasite stories to fill a book. I’ll only write about a
few though due to space.
One
night, when my son was a toddler, I let him go to sleep in bed with me.
I tried to read while we awaited the sandman. He wiggled. I said,
"Be still." He said, "Dey’s sumpin wrong wif my
fanny". I said "No, there’s not." He said, "Yes,
dey is. Dey’s sumpin hen it." I looked and the evidence was
clear. He was infested with pin worms. I felt like the lowest form of
mother. The whole family was treated with prescription medication. Our
linens were washed and rewashed. The whole house had a through cleaning.
Today I would treat the family with black walnut.
One
woman took an herbal parasite treatment. She told me about this at a
very busy event and I’m sorry I didn’t get her name. Anyway, she
knows she passed many because she saw them wiggling. Following this
treatment she no longer had the "spare tire" which had been
prominent at her waist line.
Another
woman continued to have the same health problems following the removal
of her gall bladder. She’s an old friend of mine and came to talk to
me. I told her that I suspected that she had parasites. She carried her
health records to a specialist in Birmingham. Without any examination he
remarked, "You have parasites." She took the prescribed
medication and has had no similar symptoms since.
In
my youth there was a woman who made a candy from Jerusalem Oak each
spring and fed it to her children. This was considered a cleanse. Her
daughter tells me this did cleanse. The parasites could be seen with the
naked eye. I don’t advise this today because this herb is actually
poisonous when consumed in large amounts.
I
don’t know what doctors prescribe for parasites today. I’m almost
positive it’s not made from Jerusalem Oak though. I myself try to keep
a supply of this herb in dried form on hand. Whenever I cook a pot of
dried beans I add a heaping teaspoon of this in order to prevent
intestinal gas pains. Used in this proportion it is not poisonous.
If
you should take an herbal remedy for parasites it will probably contain
some of the following – black walnut, garlic, artemisia, papaya, and
tumeric.
Our
media has recently been pushing what is generally referred to as "a
cleanse." This usually consists of a mixture of herbs which cleanse
the whole body. Adults would probably benefit from taking this at least
once a year. But, of course, I advise you to check with your doctor
before taking this or any other herbal remedy.
Nadine
Johnson is a resident of Goshen. Alabama, a member of the Goshen Farmer’s
Co-op, and a long time user and promoter of wise herb use. Her telephone
number is 334/484-3580. Her email is
[email protected]. |
