FIGHTS INTESTINAL PARASITES
A parasite, by definition, is an organism that lives inside or on another organism (a host) and from which it derives the nourishment it needs to live and grow. Intestinal parasites refer to organisms that enter the human body and lodge in the intestines. These parasites feed on food that comes through the intestines and even on human tissue. They also excrete waste products that are generally toxic to the human system. There are at least 60 well-documented human parasites,1 but some experts maintain there could be several hundred different parasitic organisms that infect human beings. Symptom lists for parasitic infections are long, and many symptoms of common diseases are similar to those of parasitic infections.2 The list of parasitic diseases published by the Centers for Disease Control contains over 100 entries.3
It has been estimated that as much as 50% of the US population is infected with at least one type of parasite. About 25% of those infected have active infections that produce noticeable symptoms.4 Warmer, more humid areas in the US (and elsewhere) have higher incidences of parasite infection. Infections can occur through insect bites, exposure to animal feces, walking barefoot, handling raw meat, eating undercooked meat, drinking contaminated water, eating contaminated raw fruits or vegetables, inhaling contaminated dust, or having contact with other infected persons. Worldwide, life-threatening parasitic infections—including malaria—affect 100-200 million people, mostly in developing countries.
Intestinal parasites come in two classes: protozoan organisms that start very small (sometimes single-celled, such as amoebas) and parasitic worms. Among the better-known protozoan parasite diseases are amoebiasis, giardia and malaria. The most common intestinal worms are pinworms, roundworms, tapeworms and flukes.
The smaller, protozoan parasites can be more dangerous. Because of their tiny size, they can move from the intestines into the bloodstream and infect organs and tissues throughout the body.
Certain essential oils have consistently shown anti-parasitic qualities and have been used successfully to rid the body of parasites. They have the added benefit that they seem to discriminate between parasitic organisms and regular body tissue. And this applies not only to protozoan and worm infections, but also unhealthy fungal infections as well.5
Some essential oils are anthelmintic (able to destroy parasitic worms), while others are larvicidal (able to destroy protozoan parasites). A few oils do both.
Protozoan Parasites
A 2010 study done in Spain tested the primary constituent of Roman chamomile on the protozoan parasite responsible for Leishmaniasis. At 10% and 5% solutions, there was a 100% inhibition of the parasite.6 Earlier studies in Brazil had shown that essential oils rich in linalool and eugenol were effective in inhibiting growth and reproduction of parasites causing Leishmaniasis without harming normal human cells.7, 8 Scientists in Edinburgh, UK, identified a group of essential oils that inhibited several families of protozoan parasites. They also noted that “the lipid solubility of plant [essential] oils might offer alternative, transcutaneous [topical] delivery routes.” Their final note focused on drug-resistance: “The emergence of parasites resistant to current chemotherapies highlights the importance of plant essential oils as novel antiparasitic agents.”9 A 2007 study also done in Brazil found that thyme and oregano oils were effective against protozoan parasites even when diluted. A study done in 2000 investigated melissa, thyme and tea tree oils against the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei, spread by the tsetse fly, which causes African sleeping sickness. Researchers found that these three oils were 50 to 80 times more toxic to this parasite than they were to normal human cells.10 A recent study done in 2008 at the University of Tehran found that Thyme essential oil was surprisingly effective against the parasite Entamoeba histolytica (a primary cause of amoebic dystentary), killing all parasites within 24 hours in a concentration of only 0.7 mg per milliliter.11
Parasitic Worms
Two studies done in India, one in 2001 and another in 2003 found that a basil essential oil and the essential oil of palmarosa both showed “potent anthelmintic activity” against roundworms12, 13
A 2001 study done in Morocco found that oregano oil was effective in killing liver flukes, a very serious worm parasite.14 Another study done in Egypt that same year found that myrrh was also effective against flukes. Study authors concluded that “the therapy proved to be effective, with pronounced improvement of the general condition and amelioration of all symptoms and signs . . . No signs of toxicity or adverse effects were observed.” 15
In a 1990 a Brazilian study found that intestinal flatworms were completely inactivated by various eucalyptus oils16 and the same inhibitory effects were observed with cedarwood oil in a 1992 study done at Louisiana State University17. A 2008 study in Spain found that alpha pinene, a substance found in many essential oils including cypress, juniper berry, rosemary, Scotch pine and balsam fir, was particularly active against the Anasakis roundworm parasites that are sometimes found in raw fish.18 Similarly, a 1990 Japanese study found ginger essential oil and its constituents to be effective in inhibiting the same parasite.19
A 2010 study in Taiwan investigated ginger oil’s effect against a parasitic roundworm responsible for eosinophili meningitis in Southeast Asia (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) and found it killed or immobilized the parasite within 24 to 72 hours, depending on concentration.20
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