Doctors warn against bizarre 'Worm Queen' trend backed by Heidi Klum: 'It could be fatal'

Daily Mail​

21 hours ago

Doctors have warned against a bizarre new wellness trend that sees people downing herbal concoctions in an attempt to 'flush out' parasites and worms from their bodies—warning it could be dangerous or even deadly.
The so-called parasite cleanse—a viral detox fad spreading across TikTok and Instagram—has been endorsed by a host of influencers and health bloggers, who claim it can reduce bloating and rid the gut of hidden 'invaders'.
Now supermodel Heidi Klum has jumped on the bandwagon, revealing she's trying the controversial cleanse for the first time after seeing dramatic videos online.
'I heard that you're supposed to do this once a year, and I've never done [a cleanse],' she told The Wall Street Journal. 'So I feel like I'm really behind. I don't know what the heck is going to come out.'
But experts have slammed the trend as dangerous and unnecessary—warning that it is based on pseudoscience and could even prove fatal.
'There's absolutely no robust scientific evidence to support this,' said one doctor. 'It's pseudoscience gibberish.'
While nearly half of all children under 10—and many adults—do carry threadworms without realising, medics stress that these are easily treated with safe, approved medicines.
By contrast, some of the so-called herbal remedies used in these DIY detoxes—including wormwood and clove oil—can be toxic in high doses, potentially causing seizures, unconsciousness or organ damage.
But that doesn't appear to faze Ms Klum, who cheerfully declared: 'Parasites hate clove.'
One of the most talked-about products fuelling the trend is ParaFy, a liquid supplement created by self-proclaimed 'worm queen' Kim Rogers—whose videos documenting her own parasite cleanse have gone viral on social media.
Sold under her brand RogerHoods Apothecary, the herbal tinctures claim to 'detox unwanted parasites, worms, candida, heavy metals and toxins while also promoting well-being'.
A 30-day 'cleanse' kit costs around £74, although cheaper versions are widely available on Amazon for less than half the price.
However, none of these claims have been verified by UK watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, or the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the safety of medical products in the US.
The ParaFy kit contains a mix of natural ingredients including wormwood—the bitter herb used in potent alcoholic drink absinthe—along with clove oil, garlic and honey.
Experts say people who try the cleanse are likely to suffer flu-like symptoms, nausea and diarrhoea as their bodies struggle to process the potent ingredients—some of which can be toxic in high doses.
But Ms Rogers insists the symptoms are merely a sign the detox is working, blaming them on 'parasite die-off' and claiming her formula is 'designed to assist the body's natural detox processes'.
Experts say wormwood oil can be poisonous when taken in high doses.
Consuming wormwood products that have not had a compound called thujone removed at a high dose or for longer than a month can trigger nausea, restlessness and even seizures, studies have shown.
Similarly, high doses of clove oil can cause severe liver damage, jaundice and even loss of consciousness resulting in a coma.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Professor James Dooley, a microbiologist at Ulster university, said: 'There is absolutely no robust scientific evidence to support any of the claims made [by advocates of the trend].
'There are really no supplements that have been shown to do anything useful in this context—eliminating certain groups of organisms from the gut,' he added.
The products themselves may not even be performing the 'cleansing' they claim to be on those who really are suffering with a parasite infection, experts have warned.
'Hearing that someone is advocating a worm and parasite cleanse is alarming because it is a medically unfounded practice that could potentially be harmful,' Dr Choukri Mamoun, an infectious diseases experts at Yale School of Medicine, explained.
Research has also suggested undertaking these so-called parasite detoxes can actually make matters worse, flushing out the good bacteria in the gut and damaging the delicate gut microbiome.
Instead, the experts suggest eating a balanced diet with plenty of fibre to aid digestion and cutting back on ultra-processed foods to keep the gut healthy and free from disease.
'Hygiene measures are also important to help clear any infection and prevent the spread,' Dr Dan Baumgardt added.
'This involves scrupulous washing of hands, laundry and avoiding scratching the affected areas.
'It's a good idea to trim fingernails too, to prevent the eggs from getting caught under them.'
The warning comes alongside a growing body of research that suggests that intestinal parasitic worms could actually help treat some of the world's most complex diseases, including autoimmune conditions.
The theory is based on the 'hygiene hypothesis' – the idea that our immune system has evolved to be exposed to a variety of parasites, bacteria and microbes.
But as health and safety measures have improved, we no longer come into contact with these micro-organisms to the same extent.
Without them, so the theory goes, our immune system has turned inward – it's begun to attack the body and over-react to harmless substances such as pollen or peanuts.
Advocates of the theory say this has contributed to an explosion in allergies and autoimmune conditions such as Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.