I recently joined a wellness team in a natural market setting, and in my first week I helped more people with digestive and gut concerns than anything else. One parent has left a message about a parasite cleanse for kids which has not yet been addressed. I would like to first suggest they see their primary physician with a stool sample to check for signs. I'm aware of nematodes like pinworms being common for kids and we talked about Bai Zhu Atractylodes as a useful herb for this, along with others like Black Walnut, Wormwood etc but these are also strong herbs to use if there is true evidence of parasites. How have you responded to concerned parents, and what are some examples of herbs and remedies you have used in the past?

correction: Andrographis for nematodes, not Bai Zhu Atractylodes.

David said: The long “parasites” I commonly see in children are pinworms, and they are pun intended a pain in the ass. Treatment takes a month or more, with nasty tasting herbs , most children are not compliant. Why do they think their children have parasites? Most of the time they do not.