Hookworm larvae (Necator americanus) are found in the warm, moist soil of tropical and subtropical regions and also in the south-eastern US. They can be acquired by eating food contaminated with human faeces or can enter the body directly through the skin where they travel through the blood stream to the lungs and throat. There they are swallowed to end up in the small intestine.
This parasitic nematode worm begins life outside the body and is transmitted through contaminated water, or fruits and vegetables. The hookworm larvae grow inside the human intestines where they attach to the wall of the intestine and drink the blood of the host. They sometimes cause a form of anaemia called anchylostomiasis.
The larvae have teeth-like hooks that attach to the intestinal wall and rob the body of blood. They can live for approximately 15 years in the human body.
Symptoms of hookworm infection
The first symptoms are itchy patches on the skin with pimples and blisters and itching at the site of entry. Migration of the Ascaris larvae throughout the body can create temporary severe tissue irritation and allergic reactions such as asthma.
Thereafter the following symptoms may occur.
- Abdominal pain
- Anaemia
- Anorexia
- Diarrhoea
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Pneumonitis
- Weakness
Natural treatment for hookworm infection
- Betel nut: Grind one betel nut with a small glass of milk. Take this early in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Male fern: This can help the body eliminate tapeworm parasites.
- Wormseed: This can be taken as a tea. Do not use concentrated wormseed oil as it is too potent.
- Torrya seed: This can be used with basket fern and betel nut.
For more natural remedies see>> Parasites
Related subjects
- A-Z of antimicrobial plants
- Anaemia
- Dientamoeba fragilis
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Filarial worms
- Flat worm blood fluke
- Giardia lamblia
- Lancet flukes
- Lyme disease
- Mosquito-borne infections
- Pinworms (threadworms)
- Roundworms
- Skin parasites (lice)
- Tapeworms
- Trichinella spiralis
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