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Today's Daily Health Tip
The Health Benefits of Black Walnut Hulls
by Jon Barron     Black Walnut hulls have a long history in herbal medicine. Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist, talked about their healing power in the first century A.D. The seventeenth-century herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, prescribed walnut to draw poisonous venom from snake and spider bites. But it was the Native Americans who first used black walnut hulls as a laxative and as a vermifuge, a treatment for eliminating intestinal parasites.
As a laxative, it expels parasites as part of its cleansing of the body, and as a vermifuge, the high tannin and juglone content is thought to oxygenate the blood and kill the parasites. Black walnut is reported to be effective against pinworm, ringworm, tapeworm, and other intestinal parasites. Juglone has been identified as a chemical that is antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, and a fungicide. While there are very few scientific studies on black walnut hulls, the ones that exist are very interesting and suggestive.
Bactericidal and Virucidal Effects of Black Walnut
A 2012 study screened plant quinones for inhibiting effects on the bacterial fire blight pathogen. The most active compound discovered was juglone from walnuts.1 As the study said, "juglone has a potent and specific bactericidal effect on E. amylovora…Juglone is a promising candidate for the development of a new environmentally friendly plant protectant to replace the antibiotic streptomycin currently used in fire blight control."
A 2002 study published in Phytotherapy Research found that juglone showed significant inhibition of RNase H activity in the HIV virus.2 This is a big deal. HIV-1 replicates itself through reverse transcription, a process that produces new double-stranded DNA from the viral genome's single-stranded RNA. During DNA synthesis, a DNA/RNA hybrid is formed as a replication intermediate and must be cleaved by RNase H before the process can continue. Inhibit that, and you inhibit replication of the HIV virus. And the study showed that juglone from black walnuts did just that.
Anti-parasitic and Anti-fungal Effects
As mentioned, there are no scientific studies that specifically support the use of black walnut to kill intestinal parasites. Any studies that have been done are merely suggestive. For example, a 2008 study identified types of wood that were resistant to the Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), an invasive pest that eats the inner bark of trees. The study found that ash borer larvae that normally fed and developed on ash logs, had no larvae and were not able to survive, grow, or develop on any black walnut trees or logs.3
In truth, this is one case where experience trumps lack of studies. Any good herbalist who has used black walnut hull tincture, either internally or externally, can tell you how effective it is. Dr. John Christopher tells a great story about how when serving in the army, he used it to cure jungle rot in just four days.4
It is also important to understand that many parasites do not confine themselves to our intestinal tracts. There are at least 1000 species of parasitic organisms that can live in humans including Giardia, flatworms, tapeworms, hookworms, liver flukes, ringworms, nematodes, and a whole host of funguses. Incidentally, medical labs only check for about 50-60 of them. Some encamp in the liver, and others, such as Cryptococcus gatti, invade the lungs, nervous system, soft tissue, lymph nodes, and joints. Anti-parasitic and anti-fungal herbs such as black walnut (not to mention heavy doses of garlic) can help drive all of them out of the body.
Side Effects Side effects associated with black walnut supplements are uncommon, and it is generally safe to use unless you are pregnant or allergic to nuts. Use while pregnant could "theoretically" cause birth defects or negatively impact the growth of the fetus or potentially cause a miscarriage. The odds of any of these things happening is extremely low, but it is recommended that you not use it while pregnant.
To learn more on how Jon uses this as part of a complete liver detox tincture, click here. |  LET'S CONNECT
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