Cina was the traditional worm remedy, but it was used so much (in large herbal doses) that fatal poisoning often occured. It was Hahnemann who made it a safe remedy for roundworms and threadworms by diluting it in homeopathic doses.

By the way, there are two "grandmother's recipes" for expelling worms. To get rid of threadworms, smear the anus with vaseline, inside and out. When the worms come down to breed, they slide out on the lubricant and are gradually passed. Combine this trick with Cina and the worms will be gone for good. My patients can vouch for this method.

The other trick for catching a tapeworm is simple but it works! Tapeworms seem to have a great liking for pumpkin seeds. Shell one ounce of fresh pumpkin seeds, pound them, and mix them with two ounces of honey. Give the mixture to the person in the morning, on an empty stomach, in three doses an hour apart. The tapeworm overeats on the pumpkin seed until it is so relaxed that its hook lets go and it is passed out. Don't touch the worm until it has totally passed, head and all, or else the worm will grow again from the head.

How can you tell if your child has worms? Typical symptoms include grinding of the teeth, picking the nose until it bleeds, biting nails until they bleed, scratching the anus and ears, twitching of the eyes, dark circles around the eyes paleness around the mouth, a voracious appetite even immediately after eating, bedwetting, and foul putrid breath.

The child's behavior is typically "cross and ugly"; he kicks and hits, wants to be carried all the time, likes to be rocked, is capricious, wants something, then throws it away when he receives it, does not want to be looked at and starts screaming if he is. You have the impression that the child does not know what she wants, except that she wants to be rocked all the time.