How to Do a Parasite Cleanse Safely and Effectively

• Using Symptoms To Choose the Best Course of Action|
• Good Gut Health Is the Best Defense|
• 3 Steps for an Effective Parasite Cleanse|

If you’ve ever come home from a trip abroad with lingering digestive issues, you might’ve wondered if a parasite was to blame. The truth is, some parasites are harmless, but others can stick around and cause chronic symptoms—especially when the gut is out of balance.

Rather than jumping to extreme cleanses or harsh treatments, I like to look at the bigger picture: how healthy your gut environment is, and what that means for your body’s natural defenses.

Let’s unpack what really matters when it comes to gut parasites—and how to support your system so they don’t take hold in the first place.

Using Symptoms To Choose the Best Course of Action

If you’re looking for a parasite test, it’s likely because you’re experiencing persistent, unexplained gut symptoms, such as 1 2 3 4: 

• Weight loss
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Fever
• Rash
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Lack of appetite
• Diarrhea
• Cramping
• Stomach pain
• General gut discomfort

When working with clients who have one or more of these symptoms, I assess how severe they are first. If not severe, I find it’s best to start with overall gut-healing treatments before suggesting they spend money on parasite testing. This plan of action addresses whole-gut health, both preventing parasites and killing any that may be present.

However, if my clients have more extreme symptoms (like severe abdominal pain, fever, dehydration from diarrhea or vomiting, or significant weight loss), I recommend urgent testing. They may be dealing with a parasitic infection that requires pharmaceutical treatment and holistic gut support. 

It’s worth noting that, although these symptoms can be distressing, they aren’t always caused by parasites. In fact, unless you’ve recently traveled to a developing country, had contaminated water or food, or had other known exposures, a parasite is less likely to be the root cause.  Instead, some of these symptoms may be attributable to more common digestive system issues, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). 

Parasite Testing Basics

Parasite tests generally look for protozoan parasites in the gut via a stool sample. Many different integrative and conventional healthcare providers can order and interpret a Gastrointestinal Microbial Assay Plus (GI-MAP™) parasite test. 

GI-MAP™ uses Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved technology to detect gut pathogens (harmful organisms). Although Medicare is the only insurance that covers it, some insurance providers may provide partial reimbursement after purchase.

What’s important is not jumping to conclusions if the results show certain protozoa in your stool—not all of them are bad for human health. You should be concerned and follow up with your provider if you’re positive for:

• Cryptosporidium 1 
• Entamoeba histolytica 2 
• Giardia 3
• Cyclospora spp. 5
• Dientamoeba fragilis 6

These are infectious, can cause debilitating symptoms in most people, and probably require prescription medication for treatment. 

However, if your test shows the following protozoan parasites, you can relax—they’re not generally considered harmful:

• Chilomastix mesnili 7
• Endolimax nana 8
• Entamoeba coli 8
• Entamoeba hartmanii 8
• Pentatrichomonas hominis 9

Blastocystis parasites have mixed research behind them, some of which shows harm, and some of which doesn’t 10. Seek medical advice to be sure about these, especially if you’re having symptoms.

Good Gut Health Is the Best Defense Against Parasites

When I was in college, I dealt with health issues related to parasites in my gut, so I know firsthand how much trouble they can cause. However, I want to caution you against focusing entirely on clearing parasites when trying to improve your gut symptoms. 

When it comes to getting rid of harmful protozoan parasites, the most important thing is to improve the health of the gut as a whole. With my clients, my goal is to create a gut environment that supports beneficial microbes that make the gut unwelcoming to parasites.

A healthy gut microbiome may be the body’s first line of defense against intestinal parasites. The gut microbiota can help stop parasites by 11:

• Slowing their growth
• Interfering with their development
• Producing natural substances that harm them
• Creating a gut environment that makes it harder for parasites to take hold and cause disease 

Beneficial gut bacteria don’t necessarily fight pathogens alone—they may also work alongside dendritic cells, the immune system’s sentinels, to help support gut health. 

Dendritic cells live throughout the intestinal tract to watch for pathogens 12. Once dendritic cells encounter foreign invaders, such as parasites, they initiate an immune response and help prevent a similar infection in the future 12 13. Dendritic cells may even cooperate with beneficial gut bacteria—including those introduced as probiotics—to reduce inflammation 14.

A harmful intestinal parasite that colonizes the gut can disrupt the microbiome and immune system enough to cause serious illness. At that point, a medical intervention with pharmaceuticals is often necessary to get rid of the parasite. 

The good news is that eating a therapeutic diet and taking probiotics can support the healthy gut microbes during drug treatment. The greater the gut support, the more likely the body will be able to help kill the parasites and reject them more quickly if they return.

3 Steps for an Effective Parasite Cleanse

Sometimes, harmful parasites make it into the gut. To push them out effectively, holistically, and in a way that supports overall gut health, I have my clients follow a step-by-step process that may change depending on their progress with each step. 

Keep in mind that a parasite cleanse may not be the right fit for everyone. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, immunocompromised, or under 18, even a gentle cleanse can trigger negative effects. Instead, focus on building a healthy gut microbiome.

Those with mild or moderate symptoms can usually avoid parasite testing and start with Step 1. But people with severe symptoms can benefit from testing to find out what they’re dealing with and whether it makes sense to start Step 3 (antimicrobials) as they begin healing the gut with Step 1. 

Step One: Build the Foundation

For my clients with mild or moderate symptoms, the first step is to lay a solid foundation by getting the gut and immune system functioning well. Incorporating a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet along with a gut-friendly lifestyle (quality sleep, stress management, and exercise) can boost the microbiome’s ability to keep parasites in check 15. 

It bears repeating that starting with gut health foundations (diet and lifestyle) and not diving into specific parasite cleanses or botanicals right off the bat can:

• Treat underlying inflammation that may cause parasite-like symptoms 
• Support a healthy intestinal microbiome that can fight symptom-causing pathogens
• Heal the gut environment as a whole to make it less prone to future infections

Whether or not a parasite is present, an anti-inflammatory diet can improve gut health and address other conditions. An anti-inflammatory diet often cuts out gluten, dairy, processed foods, added sugars, and other foods that are more likely to trigger the immune system. Those foods can both create inflammation in the system and feed harmful microbes that disrupt the health of the intestinal tract. 

A well-rounded Paleo diet that cuts out common inflammatory foods can form the basis of a parasite cleanse. See our Paleo Diet Guide for details on the diet.

Step Two: Add Probiotics

If their symptoms persist after making meaningful changes to their diet and lifestyle, I have my clients add in probiotics following what I call the triple-therapy approach. Though human clinical trials studying the effects of probiotics on parasites are hard to come by, three trials have demonstrated that probiotics can:

• Reduce leaky gut caused by Cryptosporidium 16
• Assist conventional antiparasitic drugs at treating Giardia 17
• Reduce gut inflammation and symptoms in people with infectious Blastocystis parasites 18

Though we need more research to clarify whether probiotics can directly kill parasites, it appears that probiotics may limit parasite survival by boosting the body’s immune defenses and maintaining a balanced gut ecosystem 19. 

And, unlike most of the “parasite cleanses” out there, probiotics can reduce gut symptoms that don’t result from parasites.

Step Three: Antimicrobials

If, after steps 1 and 2, my clients’ symptoms persist (or if their symptoms are severe in the first place), it’s time for the third step: Antimicrobials. These may be pharmaceutical or herbal, depending on the client’s situation.

Pharmaceutical Antimicrobials

If my clients and their prescribing doctors think the best course of action is the pharmaceutical route, I strongly encourage them to incorporate the first two steps (above) along with their medication. 

Conventional antiprotozoal medications that a primary care doc or gastroenterologist can prescribe may be very effective against certain parasites, but they may also cause side effects, such as 20:

• Abdominal pain or cramping
• Bloating
• Loose bowel movements
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness and fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Itchy skin
• Rash

The good news is that building foundational health in the gut and immune system (with diet, healthy living, and especially probiotics) can set the foundation for successful treatment and fewer side effects with conventional drugs 21.

Herbal Antimicrobials

For people with persistent minor symptoms, no parasite test results, or a milder parasite, and who are wary of conventional antiparasitic drugs, herbal antimicrobials may be worth a try. 

There is little research comparing herbal antimicrobials to prescription medications for treating intestinal parasites. I’ve found only two herbs with human clinical studies to back their effectiveness in treating harmful gut parasites. 

One, Holarrhena antidysenterica, is an Indian herb that can effectively eradicate the symptom-causing Entamoeba histolytica from the gut 22. The other is oregano oil, which an industry-funded study found may be able to eliminate three generally harmless gut parasites 23.

Meanwhile, certain herbs have demonstrated antiparasitic properties in cell (petri dish) studies and may one day be researched in human clinical studies. For example,

• Common plants in the U.S. with antiparasitic effects against Entamoeba histolytica in cell studies include 24:
  
  • Avocado
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Anise
  • Creosote bush
    
• Some plants with general antiparasitic properties (shown in cell studies) include:
  
  • Garlic (Allium sativum) 25
  • Peppermint oil 26
  • Fennel (Nigella sativa) 27
  • Asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida; aka hing powder or oil) 28
  • Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia) 29
  • Chromolaena odorata (bitter bush or Siam weed) 30
  • Uncaria tomentosa (cat’s claw) 30 

Despite the limited research, many of these botanicals, including oregano oil, garlic, peppermint, fennel, and ginger, are considered safe for short-term use in healthy, non-pregnant people. I tend to have my clients with milder symptoms take our Biota Clear antimicrobials, which include antimicrobial herbs with antiparasitic properties.

If you want to try herbs on your own, please check in with a botanical-savvy provider to make sure they’re safe for you. Just because they’re herbal doesn’t necessarily mean they’re safe.

Probiotics and Antimicrobials

Whether my clients with parasites are using conventional or herbal antiparasitics, we include probiotics along with antimicrobial treatment. Studies have shown that combining antibiotics  with probiotics can enhance the medication’s effects against other types of gut pathogens, such as Clostridium difficile 31, SIBO 32, or H. pylori 33. 

Probiotics can also help reduce the microbiome damage and uncomfortable side effects (like antibiotic-associated diarrhea) antibiotics can cause 21. 

Parasite Cleanse: Back to the Basics

As with most of our content, the topic of parasite cleanses comes back to gut health. A healthy gut forms the foundation of our resilience against many issues, including parasitic infections. 

Whether or not gut symptoms stem from parasites, taking the steps to support gut health boosts the immune system, fortifies the cells in the gut lining, and supports the helpful microbes. When the gut microbiome is strong and healthy, there’s no room for harmful parasites to thrive.

So, instead of entrusting your health to the latest trending detox home remedy, I encourage you to follow the science and seek the clinical experience of someone you trust. If you’d like help tailoring your diet, lifestyle, and supplements to deal with parasites or generally support your health, please reach out to the Ruscio Institute for Functional Health and schedule a time to talk with one of our practitioners.

The Ruscio Institute has developed a range of high-quality formulations to help our clients and audience. If you’re interested in learning more about these products, please click here. Note that there are many other options available, and we encourage you to research which products may be right for you. The information on DrRuscio.com is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.