# Are spices actually effective against intestinal parasites. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651 "2003-12-08T00:13:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/21 "2010-12-10T17:18:05Z")
So, **ken stoico** , what the hell were you doing on your last vacation? Hiking barefoot, knee deep in open sewers while eating raw pork and biting the nails of people who had just scratched their asses but hadn’t washed their hands yet? Seriously, three intestinal parasitic infections at once? You should be a case study, dude. How did you identify the parasites? And, able to recognize the symptoms as you were, how is it you weren’t aware that anti-helminthic medications are pretty much all out of patent and as cheap as medicine can reasonably be? Nobody’s gleefully rubbing their hands together at the profit they can make off pinworm medication or tapeworm pills. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/22 "2010-12-10T19:16:15Z")
Well you see, he was full of it at the time. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_stoico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@ken\_stoico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ken_stoico)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/23 "2010-12-11T10:04:54Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > So, **ken stoico** , what the hell were you doing on your last vacation? Hiking barefoot, knee deep in open sewers while eating raw pork and biting the nails of people who had just scratched their asses but hadn’t washed their hands yet? > > Seriously, three intestinal parasitic infections at once? You should be a case study, dude. > > How did you identify the parasites? And, able to recognize the symptoms as you were, how is it you weren’t aware that anti-helminthic medications are pretty much all out of patent and as cheap as medicine can reasonably be? Nobody’s gleefully rubbing their hands together at the profit they can make off pinworm medication or tapeworm pills. Actually Dr Goldstein it’s quite easy… ---
**Author:** ![ken\_stoico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@ken\_stoico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ken_stoico)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/24 "2010-12-11T10:09:39Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > Well I’ve gone to National Geographic and searched under their Video link for “worm”, “parasite” and “intestinal”. Shock of shocks, I was not able to find \*any]/i] films relevant to this discussion. > > All this despite **ken** ’s recommendation > Perhaps he accidentally misinformed us.:rolleyes: Perhaps not. Try National Geographic Documentaries “The Body Snatchers.” ---
**Author:** ![ken\_stoico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@ken\_stoico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ken_stoico)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/25 "2010-12-11T10:13:46Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The problem with much of what’s been posted here is that it refers to bacteria (not parasites), references in vitro (test tube) research (not activity in the human body) or undocumented folklore. The bottom line on wormwood seems to be that it is overhyped and also toxic to humans (a component is a promising malaria drug). > > Hard to believe that the old John Wayne 50 pounds o’ poop nonsense made it in here.I’ve seen the “guts” of a whole bunch of patients at autopsy (I’m a pathologist) and even in cases where people have been critically ill and their gastrointestinal functions slowed way down, their bowels don’t contain more than a few pounds of feces. The Wayne story is nonsense. There is no ancient fecal matter encrusting anyone’s bowels, parasites don’t hide in it, and the myriad “parasite cleanses” that infest the Internet are bunk. Dr. Rosenbaum, thank you for the information. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/26 "2010-12-11T13:20:07Z")
> [@ken\_stoico](#): > > Actually Dr Goldstein it’s quite easy… > [@ken\_stoico](#): > > Dr. Rosenbaum, thank you for the information. [moderating] Stop this now. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/27 "2010-12-11T17:56:28Z")
Point of information: do intestinal parasites ever migrate to the brain? ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/28 "2010-12-11T18:33:21Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Point of information: do intestinal parasites ever migrate to the brain? Why yes, [sometimes they do.](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000298.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/29 "2010-12-11T19:12:22Z")
Well _that_ might explain something. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/30 "2010-12-12T01:42:01Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Well _that_ might explain something. This [documentary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasites_Lost) says they can actually make you smarter. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_stoico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@ken\_stoico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ken_stoico)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/31 "2010-12-13T12:21:31Z")
> [@ken\_stoico](#): > > Rubbish? Oh yeah, and lots of it. Remember when they performed an autopsy on John Wayne? If I recall it was somewhere around 50 lbs. of “old fecal matter” that was found stuck in his colon…not to mention the worms. Well “Duke” rest in peace. > Of course the Jewish Medical Association would never let anyone know the problems intestinal parasites can cause…and lose billions of dollars on misdiagnosed symptoms. Maybe that’s why Jews don’t eat pork ! Hmmmm. > I would advise anyone interested in finding more information about the subject to visit Dr. Bill Miller’s websites. He has an interesting article entitled “Parasites. Worms and Flukes.” Another informative film produced by National Geographic called “The Body Snatchers.” is well worth seeing. > My first symptoms were the presence of fecal fat…known in the medical community as steatorrhea. The worms interfere with the absorbtion of fat. Yes worms burrow themselves deep in tissue and hide to avoid detection. They have been around for thousands of years and their ability to survive is uncanny. Trust me…they are difficult to kill. Smaller worms like hookworms, threadworms are quite visible. Females are much larger than males. > It’s true the Amish do not like “spicy” food. But they do use spices for medicinal purposes. Anyone interested in knowing more about Amish remedies can obtain the book “Amish Folk Medicine” written by Patrick Quillin. > I have tried other remedies like onions, garlic, wormwood etc. They did not work. > Hot dry red chile peppers, cut, fried and mixed with food did the job…and lots of 'em too. So what’s the big deal? Seems like some Dr.s and the medical community don’t like cleansing the colon. I advise all of you to do some research on the subject. Looking back, I may have eaten the oocycts (eggs) when I had a salt bagel with lox and cream cheese at a small deli on 12 Ave. The fish tapeworm (not pork) came from the uncooked salmon, the round worms from the tomatoes and lettuce that were harvested in Mexico, and the thread worms from the kid who made the sandwich and forgot to wash his hands…we call this a 3 in 1. My point being… it’s quite easy to get infected. I also forgot to mention that I used the red dry chile peppers…not the fresh. You can buy them at any grocery store. Just cut, fry and add to any of your favorite dishes with the seeds … chile con carne, spaghetti, salads…etc. I started out with about 5 small peppers and gradually increased the number to about 8. I also ate some garlic bread to neutralize the heat. I did this for a month and was amazed at the results. I do not recommend this for children. Children in poverty stricken areas (most infected) do not eat hot chiles, Dr. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_stoico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@ken\_stoico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ken_stoico)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/32 "2010-12-13T12:25:38Z")
> [@Chairman\_Pow](#): > > Hmmm… A quick google search hasn’t come up with anything promising (not quite a pun…), but certainly there is a renewed emphasis on intestinal health/parasite infections popping up in the alternative medicine world these days and getting awfully close to appearing on a #1 bestseller list… > > All the data I’ve run across (had handed to me) was from “alternative medical” sources, not anything from what a skeptic would call “reliable.” The basic theory behind the anti-parasite herbs is not so much a parasiteacide (?), but that you’re instead cleansingb the bowels such that they can’t keep a hold on anything and are expelled. > > I haven’t yet seen anything “scientific,” but it’s certainly worth a try - if anything else, you’ll improve elimination which will certianly make your day go better… I agree. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/33 "2010-12-13T12:40:11Z")
> [@](#): > > So what’s the big deal? Seems like some Dr.s and the medical community don’t like cleansing the colon. because it’s \*not necessary. \* It’s sad that some people who have turned “colon cleansing” into a borderline _fetish_ have managed to convince otherwise-intelligent people that the human digestive system has just recently become something fragile and in need of regular maintenance. > [@](#): > > I advise all of you to do some research on the subject. Many of us have and have concluded it’s bunk. But I know the _real_ meaning behind that sentence is that you presume that anyone who “did some research” would naturally come about and agree with you, and I say fuck that. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_stoico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@ken\_stoico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ken_stoico)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/34 "2011-10-17T04:14:19Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > because it’s \*not necessary. \* It’s sad that some people who have turned “colon cleansing” into a borderline _fetish_ have managed to convince otherwise-intelligent people that the human digestive system has just recently become something fragile and in need of regular maintenance. > > Many of us have and have concluded it’s bunk. But I know the _real_ meaning behind that sentence is that you presume that anyone who “did some research” would naturally come about and agree with you, and I say fuck that. Yes, anyone who has done some research would agree with me…even Dr. Lippshitz ---
**Author:** ![ken\_stoico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@ken\_stoico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ken_stoico)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/35 "2011-10-17T04:49:15Z")
> [@ken\_stoico](#): > > Dr. Rosenbaum, thank you for the information. Well let’s look at the true story…this was written by Mattie Johnson, John Wayne’s maid. “Mr Wayne would wake up around 10:00 a.m everyday. The first thing he’d do was smoke a half a pack of cigarettes and drink 3-4 cups of coffee. At 11:00 a.m. he would eat breakfast which consisted of 6 eggs, scrambled, a 14oz. steak, cooked rare, and 2 large slices of Texas toast. After breakfast he would take a nap and I would wake him at 3:30 for lunch. Lunch was always the same…a 16 oz. prime rib, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and some Texas toast. I never saw him eat any fruit or vegetables. He would always complain about being constipated. When he did go there was always blood around the toilet. For dinner he would have a T-bone steak, rare, (22.oz.) a baked potato, and more Texas toast. Sometimes he would have dessert…usaully ice cream and apple pie. Mr. Wayne would go weeks without having a bowel movement. His stomach made him look pregnant. He often complained about headaches and had trouble sleeping. He drank too. He loved whiskey.” So there it is. According to our pathologist friend, who by the way speaks Latin, whose never seen more than a few pounds of undigested food or I presume fecal matter… 21 days x 2lbs. = 42lbs. hmmm. Peppers do work dispite what the “good Dr.s” say. Afterall, colon cancer’s BIG BUSINESS…right? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651/36 "2011-10-17T04:58:32Z")
> [@ken\_stoico](#): > > Yes, anyone who has done some research would agree with me…even Dr. Lippshitz > [@ken\_stoico](#): > > Peppers do work dispite what the “good Dr.s” say. Afterall, colon cancer’s BIG BUSINESS…right? **ken stoico** , you were instructed to stop this by a moderator when this thread was last active. Since you’ve resumed with the same behavior, I am issuing you an official warning for violation of moderator instructions. I am also closing this thread. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-spices-actually-effective-against-intestinal-parasites/217651.md?page=1)