Intestinal helminthes (worms) are of different types. In children they are most common, because infestation can easily occure when they have habit of putting toys, pencils, and other articles in their mouths thereby ingesting clay, which causes worm infestation in children. Low digestive fire increases this chance by increasing Kapha and ama. Hookworms. Roundworms, thread-worms, and whip-worms are most common.
In children, worm infestation can produce any symptom from acute fever to skin rashes. Common symptoms are nausea, vomiting indigestion, diarrhea, dysentery, and pain in abdomen, cough, asthma, and itching as well as discoloration of the skin.
Initially herbs like garlic, ginger, piper nigrum should be given to increase the digestive power and to digest ama.
Specific herbs against the worm infestation are embelia ribes and moringa pterigosperma. The seeds of these plants should be given 1 to 3 gms, a day for 15 days. Most antiparasistical herbs have a pungent or bitter taste.
Herbal wine of vidang – vidangarishta- 15 ml. 3 times day, or its powder 250 mgm, twice day, or its decoction 30 ml. twice day should be given at least for the period of one month to eradicate the tendency f recurrence.
Tab. Krimighatani (BR) 50 mgm, should be given twice a day for 1 month.
To avoid recurrence mallotus phillippinesis, kitmari Yavani, kristolochia bacteata, hyoscyamus nigrum, apium Graveolens seeds, and butea-frundosa are also very effective. Anyone f these can be given 1 gm. A day for 1 month.
There are many western herbs having this specific action like cayenne, black pepper, golden seal, pennyroyal, prickly ah, pumpkinseeds, wormseed, wormwood, and thyme.
