There are parasites within you. Controlling your sleep, your hunger, your emotions and even your thoughts… It appears like the plot of a psychological thriller or skin-crawling sci-fi, right? From The Matrix’s infamous bug removal scene to western media’s weird obsession with leeches, an omnipresent occupation with parasites is interwoven with ideas of bodily autonomy, cleanliness and even alien occupation and pregnancy. I actually have a recurring dream where I see something slug-like moving under my skin and get up feeling like I need to throw up. And I’m not the just one troubled by the concept that there are creatures living inside my body.

Parasite cleanses have taken over TikTok. The platform is stuffed with dramatic videos of individuals undertaking DIY “detoxes” – sometimes using a mix of herbs, sometimes a popular complement, Paraguard – and their shocked reactions. “I haven’t any words… I’m too grossed out to say… A large worm,” one user tells the camera concerning the “parasite” that she passed minutes after dosing on Paraguard. “I’m, like, shaking. That is your sign.” The video racked up over 400,000 likes and 5,000 comments. Proponents of the practice consider that parasites are the primary ignored explanation for illness and conditions, chargeable for the whole lot from stomach issues to cancer, schizophrenia and dementia. Alexia Icenhower, a conspiracy theorist and one among the largest names on the parasites circuit, claims that she has cured herself of stage-three kidney disease, severe allergies and autism by ridding herself of those “bio-weapons”. She advocates cleanses that include ingesting chlorine dioxide (don’t do that).

So, how and why would someone do a parasite purge? Grace McGrade, astrologer and host of the podcast Bitchcraft which has featured Icenhower several times, sets out the fundamental premise and technique. “I began with a quite simple herbal tincture of Wormwood, Black Walnut and Clove. I took it three days before the complete moon and immediately began getting die-off symptoms.” Apparently, the 60,000 several types of parasitic creatures that may be hosting off your body are lunar-orientated, and breed within the mucous lining of your stomach in the complete moon. “This might explain why hospitals and jails seem to succeed in full capability, and may very well be where we get the phrase: ‘lunar-tic’. This is the reason, in case you are pursuing a cleanse, it’s best to begin around a full moon,” says McGrade.

Once I initially heard about parasites I used to be curious and open-minded, but with TikTok and Icenhower’s monumental remedial claims, this soon become a growing scepticism and concern. Once I spoke to Grace she said she was also sceptical at first. “I had heard it mentioned in passing and kind of shook it off as an alt-right conspiracy theory.” Despite this, she was drawn to do a cleanse following a foul breakup when she felt the actual need for inner change. “I felt like I used to be having thoughts that weren’t mine… I actually went into it for the spiritual advantages reasonably than for my health. Sometimes you would like something more substantial.” As I reached out to increasingly people, what once seemed like back alley medical advice became increasingly appealing to me.

Jemma, a medical herbalist practising on Harley Street using the Institute of Functional Medicine, immediately replied, “I like a parasite cleanse.” She outlines the three most typical parasites for me – Blastocystis hominis, Giardia lamblia and Dientamoeba fragilis – and the way they are sometimes linked with abdominal pain, diarrhoea and IBS. Nonetheless, she stresses the necessity for clinical guidance. “What concerns me most is that the influencers promoting these parasitic cleansing products should not taking a look at the person as a person. The method is a multi-layered personal protocol to revive the gut’s integrity and to replenish a healthy microbiome. Jumping straight right into a parasite cleanse can do much more harm than good if the person isn’t educated on what they’re doing to their body.”

Skin health expert Jasmina Vico also emphasises the necessity to seek skilled advice before embarking on intense cleanses. “I actually have done a parasite cleanse and yes, it’s effective,” she says, explaining how there’s a kind of mite called Dermodex which may feed off excess sebum in pores overloaded with sugar, wheat, dairy and yeast. She works alongside a naturopath to combat these imbalances for each the skin and overall health. “It’s never a foul idea to scale back your intake of salt, sugar, alcohol and fried foods and to present your gut and your entire system a rest,” she says. “But an everyday parasite cleanse isn’t something I’d personally recommend as a part of a wellness routine.”

@kerrymcdd Day one (or should i say 5 minutes in) to my parasite cleanse and wow. #paraguardparasitecleanse ♬ original sound – Kerrymcdd

Parasite cleansing is a more extreme version of the recent cultural obsession with gut healing, where the whole lot from olive oil to bone broth is hailed as a miracle fix to enhance digestion. On the core of this phenomenon appears to be a craving for self-optimisation and intimacy, in addition to a female shyness around bodily function and a prioritising of cleanliness. Cleanliness is judged by sensory indicators like smell but it surely’s also long been wrapped up in moralism (“cleanliness is next to godliness”), and concepts about purity are persuading people to pursue methods extending to inner cleanliness – from vaginal hygiene to intestinal cleanses that turn into dangerous.

Once I was deep in my eating disorders, I fed myself the mantra that fasting was helping my cells to regenerate and that giving my body no food for long periods of time was essential to “detoxing” – when really, I used to be just ravenous myself. Whether we call it parasite cleansing or low FODMAP, what different versions of socially acceptable restrictive eating really comes right down to a conditioned drive to hyper-analyse what we’re putting into our bodies and what’s coming out.

Many arguments for parasite cleansing hinge on the assumption that modern medicine wants to maintain us sick and that they’re an element of indigenous practices which have been lost within the west. An Indigenous Paraguayan woman, who now lives within the US, explained in a TikTok, “In my culture, there’s a parasitic cleanse done every three to 6 months religiously.” Nonetheless, Dr Dash Pankhania discredits this direct transplanting of a conventional approach, arguing that it’s taking these ancient practices out of context. 

“A few of these practices do have some science and evidence to them; but without the rigorous clinical trials and testing they shouldn’t be routinely offered or really helpful,” she says. While parasites are present in various degrees worldwide, she explains, they’re only really endemic to tropical latitudes. There may be also no solid medicinal research to back up the usage of DIY methods like wormwood, which may cause seizures and kidney failure, or papaya seeds, which may contain cyanide and impair fertility.

So, what concerning the promise of worms coming out of your skin, your poo, and feeling rapid change in mental and physical states? Well, bluntly, quite a lot of it might be just placebo. “Many parasites are literally microscopic and wouldn’t be visible in the bathroom bowl,” says Dr Pankhania. “People aren’t typically accustomed to looking in great detail at their stool – but these cleanses encourage this and so undigested foods or mucus could also be confused as ‘worms.’” 

The parasite cleanse trend is taking off most within the US, a rustic where healthcare is inextricably linked to profit and ideologies around status, wealth, race and sophistication. Wellness – especially white, female wellness – has turn into increasingly about businesses capitalising on the shortage of control women have over their bodies and offering cheaper, DIY alternatives when tens of millions don’t have medical insurance. As healthcare becomes harder to access, firms and influencers are recognizing a possibility to make use of the DIY web wellness space as an avenue for touting vague advantages for products with no scientific backing. “These cleanses are treating an issue people may not even have,” Dr Pankhania tells me. 

While the concept of shopping for some supplements off Amazon and ridding myself of the whole lot from my depression to thoughts about my ex truthfully sounds very appealing, the danger of damaging my body due to a TikTok wellness trend that will probably be irrelevant in a number of months isn’t. The overarching conclusion is, to hunt help from a licensed medical skilled. Even when you would like to see a large worm in your poo.