After a round of these herbs, some diets will suggest adding supplements to restore the digestive system, such as prebiotics and probiotics. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Overall, there’s no reason to stress about your risk of developing an intestinal parasite. “This is not a major public health problem in the U.S.,” Dr. Adalja said. So if you recently added papaya to your shopping cart for this purpose, feel free to put it back—or just eat the flesh of the fruit.
Parasites are organisms that infect the body of another living being and live off their hosts to survive. While some parasites create no symptoms in their hosts, others can cause severe illness. Parasitic infections occur when parasites grow, reproduce, or invade organ systems that make their hosts ill.
Some parasites can be visible under a microscope, and DNA tests can identify those that might not be so visible. Other people may try adding supplements like wormwood to their diet. If you’re adding dangerous amounts of certain herbal supplements, that could be a problem.
Insoluble fiber allows food to pass quickly through the digestive system. Intestinal parasites can cause significant illness and are most common in underdeveloped countries. Experts say there is no hard evidence ParaGuard can de-worm you, and using it could ruin the microbiome in your gut. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
“So, I have worms. And you know what that means? You have worms; everybody has worms. We need to de-worm ourselves, everybody, get something,” she said in a TikTok video. Some users report finding dead worms in their poop after using ParaGuard to flush out their system. They don’t go through FDA review, and they may contain toxic compounds.
While a 2014 study suggests that papaya seeds could remove parasites from goats, their biology differs enough from ours that it’s hard to say papaya seeds could do the same for us. But amid all the testimonies about the tapeworms and liver flukes TikTokers have pooped out, I’m catching a strong whiff of wellness BS. The parasite cleanse trend seems to fall under a larger fixation with detoxing, or clearing our bodies of “impurities” to improve our health, which isn’t actually a thing. Sure enough, according to Kaveh Hajifathalian, an assistant professor and director of Advanced Endoscopy at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, you most likely don’t need to do a parasite cleanse. Starting on the Zahler parasite cleanse day 1-3 I was exhausted with headaches and brain fog just like everyone in the reviews said. That is the die off period of the parasites and just like clock work on day 3 holy batman the parasites started coming out.
Chances are, you won’t benefit from buying into the hype — but the supplement manufacturers certainly will. Discover new workout ideas, healthy-eating recipes, makeup looks, skin-care advice, the best beauty products and tips, trends, and more from SELF. And if you’re reading this after already doing a “parasite cleanse” of your own, and you’re rightfully concerned with what came out of you, check in with a health care provider. You’re almost literally flushing your money down the toilet.
TikTok user @pengken007 told her followers to her knowledge she had never had intestinal worms. After taking ParaGuard for seven days, she said she realized this was not the case. ParaGuard is an herbal supplement that contains uzzo tv wormwood, pumpkin seed, and garlic bulb and is intended to help with digestion,according to the Zahler product website. But these symptoms can also indicate many other diseases that are more common than parasites.