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• Social media users claim that “parasite cleanses” using teas, herbs, and DIY remedies can rid the body of hidden infections and toxins.
• Medical experts say that parasitic infections are relatively uncommon and require proper diagnosis and targeted treatment.
• There is no scientific evidence to suggest that detox teas or herbal cleanses eliminate parasites, and they may cause harmful side effects.
• Experts recommend focusing on proper hygiene, food safety, and maintaining overall gut health rather than attempting at-home cleanses.

A wellness trend known as “parasite cleansing” is going viral, with influencers claiming that parasitic infestations are more common than people think.

On social media platforms like TikTok, influencers tout detox teas, herbal tinctures, and DIY elixirs made with Epsom salts, baking soda, and more, all said to flush parasites and “toxins” from the body.

One TikToker shares her “grandmother’s recipe,” claiming it will rid the body of parasitic worms and relieve constipation. This cleanse consists of soaking pumpkin seeds in hot water overnight, then blending them with turmeric and ginger.

Claims such as these have sparked both concern and curiosity among viewers and experts alike.

We asked medical professionals about the safety and effectiveness of parasite cleanses to find out whether they do more harm than good.

Steven Goldberg, MD, MBA, chief medical officer at HealthTrackRx, told Healthline that DIY parasite cleanses are unnecessary for most people and potentially harmful.

“The trend reflects a fundamental misunderstanding about parasitic infections and how the body works,” he said. “The human body doesn’t need cleansing from parasites unless there’s an actual diagnosed infection, which is relatively uncommon in the United States and other high-income countries with high levels of sanitation.”

Goldberg explained that while parasitic infections do occur in humans, most are specific organisms like Giardia or pinworms, which require targeted medical treatment, not general cleanses.

It’s also important to note that to a certain extent, the body naturally removes waste and toxins on its own.

“In most cases, the body already has highly effective systems for removing waste and toxins, primarily through the liver, kidneys, and gut,” said Tom Maggs, chief medical officer at Healthwords.

“Promoting the idea that people routinely need to cleanse parasites without evidence can lead to unnecessary anxiety and potentially unsafe behaviors,” Maggs told Healthine.

There is no credible scientific evidence to suggest that detox teas or herbal supplements eliminate parasitic infections, Goldberg said.

“Actual antiparasitic medications are prescription drugs that target specific organisms, but they’re not one-size-fits-all herbal mixtures,” he said.

Some content creators say they’ve witnessed worms in their stools after using these remedies, but Goldberg said what people are likely seeing and misidentifying as “parasites” falls into several categories.

The first of these is mucus strands and debris. “Many of these cleanses contain harsh laxatives or fiber that irritate the intestinal lining, causing it to shed mucus,” he explained.

“This mucus can form rope-like strands that look alarming but are completely normal digestive by-products.”

They could also be seeing undigested food particles, banana fibers, psyllium husk, or normal stool components.

“The digestive process creates all kinds of textures and shapes that might seem unusual if you’re looking for something alarming,” Goldberg said.

In short, parasite cleansing isn’t an effective way to rid the body of a parasitic infection, if one is present.

“True parasitic worms, when passed, are usually clearly identifiable as living organisms,” Goldberg said. “If someone passes what they genuinely think is a worm, they should save it in a container and bring it to their practitioner, who can send it to a laboratory for proper identification.”

Some versions of this trend involve ingesting herbal mixtures or using remedies like baking soda, Epsom salts, or essential oils.

But experts say these concoctions may pose health or safety risks.

“Herbal and dietary supplements are not regulated like medications by the FDA, meaning their safety, purity, and actual contents aren’t verified before sale,” Goldberg said. “Several studies have documented serious concerns.”

Product contamination and adulteration are other concerns.

“Chemical analyses frequently find discrepancies between product labels and actual ingredients, including undisclosed pharmaceutical drugs, heavy metals, and toxic plant species,” Goldberg said. “Dangerous drug interactions can occur, particularly for people taking prescription medications, and many patients don’t disclose supplement use to their doctors.”

In addition, parasite cleanses may also cause side effects.

If you’re worried about a parasitic infection, it’s important to understand the signs and symptoms.

According to Maggs, symptoms that may warrant medical attention include:

However, it’s also important to note that parasites can not be reliably self-diagnosed.

“If someone is concerned about a possible parasitic infection, this needs to be properly assessed by a medical professional. Diagnosis typically involves stool tests, blood tests, or other investigations depending on the suspected parasite,” Maggs said.

The best approach is prevention through basic hygiene and food safety practices.

“Remember hand hygiene, too, making sure to wash your hands after using the bathroom, before eating, and after handling raw meat,” he added.

What people are really seeking when they try trends like parasite cleansing is overall digestive health, Goldberg said.

Finally, stress management can be helpful. “The gut-brain connection is real, and stress affects digestion,” Goldberg said.

• Jamie Harris was in her 20s when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
• She shares her journey from symptoms and diagnosis to finding effective treatment to help raise awareness.
• Harris wants others to know that persistent symptoms like frequent bathroom trips, fatigue, or abdominal pain aren’t always due to diet.

In 2010, Jamie Harris was living her best life in her 20s. She was in graduate school pursuing her teaching certificate and dating the love of her life.

“It was a fun time in my life…I went on a trip to London with my boyfriend, who now is my husband,” she told Healthline. “I went to the bathroom, and I didn’t know if it was from travel, but I had blood in my stool.”

When she got home from the vacation, her symptoms continued, including an intense stomachache.

After seeing her general practitioner, he told Harris to add more fiber and psyllium husk to her diet. However, the sharp pain in her stomach continued for a year. She also started losing weight.

At this point, Harris was student-teaching and shared her concerns with one of her own teachers, who urged Harris to go to the emergency room.

“They ran the blood tests and were like, ‘Wow, your white blood cell count is way elevated,’ and then they ran further tests, and then that’s when I got referred to a GI doctor,” Harris said.

The GI doctor officially diagnosed her with Crohn’s disease, a chronic, relapsing inflammatory condition that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract.

“Crohn’s disease can present as superficial or deep ulcers (canker sores), and if left untreated, it can progress to bowel damage, including a buildup of scar tissue—what we call strictures or fistulas—which are connections between one loop of bowel and another loop of bowel or a connection from the bowel to the skin,” Emanuelle Bellaguarda, MD, Gastroenterologist and Associate Professor at Northwestern University, told Healthline.

Harris’s first year of navigating the diagnosis was difficult physically and mentally.

“It was like I kind of went into a little depression. I’m supposed to be at the peak of my life, and it wasn’t that anymore,” she said.

When Harris began experiencing symptoms, her mom, who was a registered dietitian for 40 years, suggested that she may have an intolerance to gluten.

“I started cutting back on [certain] foods, and my mom told me to keep a food journal, which I did, but I felt like everything was hurting my stomach,” said Harris.

She also tried the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) for a while.

“And then I was just so limited because every time I ate, I felt like I would have a stomachache, so I did try to manage through diet, and then it’s kind of bad, but I just stopped eating because it was so painful, and that’s when I lost 20 pounds,” Harris said.

While eating healthy is important for gut health and may improve symptoms such as diarrhea and bloating, Bellaguarda said there are no studies showing that diet alone can heal the inflammatory burden associated with Crohn’s disease or prevent its progression.

Bellaguarda said treatment of Crohn’s disease depends on its presentation, a patient’s comorbidities, and prior medications.

While doctors know more about Crohn’s disease today than they did 10 years ago, there is still no cure.

“So, when we think about a treatment plan for Crohn’s disease, we focus on a two-step approach to therapy,” said Bellaguarda.

The first step is to get patients well symptomatically and heal the bowel back to normal or stabilize the progression of the disease. The second step is the maintenance phase.

“We continue the medication that worked to get them well as their maintenance therapy,” Bellaguarda said. “Fortunately, we do have many effective medications to get patients well and keep them well, including biologic agents such as Omvoh or small molecule agents such as JAK inhibitors.”

Initially, after Harris was diagnosed, she tried different pill medications to manage her condition, which masked some symptoms.

“I never felt fully 100%. And what doctors like to do is they won’t move you onto a new medication until one fails or they don’t see improvement,” she said.

After two years of trying medications, she started getting infusion therapy. Today, she receives the infusion every six weeks.

“Before, infusions would take like four to six hours [which felt] like the whole day. But now with the options, they’re a little bit faster, so I can go on with my life and day,” Harris said.

She also exercises regularly and follows a Mediterranean diet, both of which help manage her symptoms.

“I’ve had the disease for 16 years; I know my trigger foods,” said Harris. “I don’t like to mix a lot of ingredients, so it’s very, very plain, very bland, but there are times when you fall off the wagon.”

“Sixteen years ago, I didn’t know anyone who had this disease, and it was very lonely. I felt isolated. I couldn’t relate to anyone,” she said.

“Now that I’ve shared my story and I tell people and I fundraise for it, it’s more common than you think. It’s not really a sexy disease; not everyone wants to talk about bowel movements or stool. But there are millions of people who suffer from it, and I don’t want other patients to feel alone,” said Harris.

She urges others to advocate for themselves if they feel like something isn’t right. To spread the message, she teamed up with the medicine company Lilly.

“It took two years to get my diagnosis. I felt like I was suffering for all of that time, and sometimes I thought it was in my head, like, am I making this up?” she said.

As real as the condition is, she said, those who have it can live a full life.

“It’s not the end of your life. You will move on. I’ve always been a positive person, but there’s hope,” she said.

Bellaguarda agreed. “We expect our patients to have a healthy, normal, and fulfilling life,” she said.

When Harris was first diagnosed, she worried her boyfriend wouldn’t stay with her or that her life would be over. The uncertainty of whether treatment would work was also unsettling.

“But now I try not to think like that. I hope there’s a cure in my lifetime, and I just try to live everyday life and be positive about it and [know that] life will go on,” Harris said.

As a mom, she shares her condition with her daughter in hopes of normalizing it and showing that she can still thrive with Crohn’s.

“I’m very open with my daughter that I have IBD,” she said. “We try to follow clean eating, so, of course, if I’m eating it, my daughter, by default, has to eat it, but it’s just about being healthy and listening to your body.”