Therapeutic: Anthelmintics
What are Anthelmintics?
Anthelmintics will destroy or dispel parsites (includes vermides and vermifuges) from the digestive system. Many can be quite toxic in high doses and are no longer accessible to medical herbalism. The term is synonymous with vermifuge & anti-parasitic. In Ayurveda parasites include worms, bacteria, fungus and yeast.)
Anthelmintics are specific types of antiparasitics. They are agents that target parasitic worms in the body and aid their removal either by stunning or killing them.
Most anthelmintics these days are synthetic drugs, but resistance is becoming a major issue. Some herbs and other natural substances can provide the same relief from these parasites but they work in a different way so resistance is not as much of an issue.
Herbal Examples:
- Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood)
- Allium sativum (Garlic)
- Thuja occidentalis (Eastern white cedar)
- Juglans nigra (Black Walnut)
Adapted from David Hoffman’s ‘The Herbal Handbook: A User’s Guide to Medical Herbalism” & “Medical Herbalism”
Reference:“The Naturopathic Herbalist”