The Treatment of Chronic Parasitic Infections in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chronic parasitic infection has always been a part of the medical landscape. Based on what we can derive from Chinese medical texts between 500BC and the 1940s when Mao’s People’s Republic of China instituted a widespread ban on traditional practices, the ancient Chinese physicians were well versed in treating chronic parasitic infection, referred to as gu syndrome. 

The character for gu depicts a bowl containing three worms. Gu syndrome was originally thought of as a “possession” syndrome because of the way these afflictions hijacked the patients physical and mental status, demonstrated by the gradual decline in mental and physical vitality toward complete disability. 

The character, containing the portrayal of three worms in a bowl, indicates that it was understood by classical physicians that gu syndrome was a systemic infestation of one or multiple parasitic organisms. From a modern perspective, we can confirm gu syndrome refers to the aggressive helminthic, viral, fungal, or spirochetal infections (Quinn et al.) that can develop severe systemic consequences. 

“ It is literally the image of three worms in a vessel. This to me is one of those strokes of brilliance that you find in the symbolism of the ancient Chinese—that they recognized 3000 years ago that chronic parasitism can cause psychotic or psychological symptoms.” -Heiner Freuhauf 

However, acute gastrointestinal infections, even acute parasites picked up while traveling, is not an indication of gu syndrome. Gu syndrome refers to the chronic nature of the disease, where the host’s body is driven to such a severe degree of dysfunction that it is slowly being consumed and “hollowed out” (Quinn et al. #) by the parasites. 

“Parasites are always at the core of the traditional diagnosis of Gu Syndrome, which literally means “parasite super-infection syndrome” and, in a more extended sense, “possession syndrome”—a situation where multiple parasitic strains have become so entrenched and pervasive in the system that they have taken over your body” (“Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas Lecture Series with Heiner Fruehauf”)

Typically the patient will present both gastro-intestinal distress coupled with neurological changes like fatigue, pain, foggy-headedness, ataxia, and psycho-emotional decline from anxiety and depression to hallucination and paranoia. 

There is a certain craftiness to these organisms’ ability to hide in the body, often wrapping themselves in a mucus like membrane called a biofilm, eluding modern testing and treatments.  From a modern perspective, lymes disease, chronic candidiasis, and the early era of HIV/AIDS fall into this category. With lyme’s disease in particular, the spirochetal pathogen is so small and elusive it often evades Western medical testing.

The Patients

The common narrative we hear in clinic from our patients will typically describe one of two scenarios. 

The first being how a rather healthy individual suddenly became plagued with severe pain and fatigue that they’ve lost much control and function over their day to day lives. Under much duress, they visit their primary care provider and are diagnosed with  chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/fibromyalgia and depression and offered antidepressants and painkillers. It’s not uncommon to hear from patients that their PCP’s told them it’s essentially in their head because testing cannot confirm any specific disease, when in fact the likely source of their ailments come from a sly parasite they’ve picked up discreetly. Patients are often unaware at the time of the initial infection.

The second scenario is when our adventurous globetrotters pick up a gastrointestinal infection like amoebic dysentery or giardia, are subsequently treated with flagyl and antibiotics, and yet they report their system has never fully recovered, even while tests return negative. These patients report severe gastrointestinal distress that comes and goes, coupled with fatigue, aches and weakened mental clarity.

Both are considered gu and can be treated as such. 

The Treatment

Pursuing treatment of chronic infections is not for the faint of heart. It requires consistency and patience. There is no quick fix, no magic pill, no one size fits all approach.

Traditional Chinese Medicine offers patients a sustainable path to recovery. The vast materia medica of Chinese herbal medicinals contains powerful antimicrobials in every category, allowing the practitioner to custom craft an appropriate formula that will strengthen the patient while simultaneously mitigating the infection. Unlike western medicine, and even western herbalism, a TCM herbalist can neutralize pathogens gently, without causing harm or disruption to the patient. A gentler, more nuanced approach allows the patient to tolerate long-term treatment and get better results.